


Two Hearts, One Love

by MissMy80sShows



Series: Season 5 - What Could Have Happened on SMK [9]
Category: Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:47:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 36,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27350692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissMy80sShows/pseuds/MissMy80sShows
Summary: The continuing story of Lee and Amanda as her pregnancy progresses, will Lee become too overprotective or will he trust her to do what's right? And will work and life disrupt their happiness? Valentine's Day is coming soon so how will they celebrate the anniversary of their secret wedding?
Series: Season 5 - What Could Have Happened on SMK [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/935760
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Amanda, can you get me the file for Project Family," Lee called to Amanda, who was currently in the vault looking for a set of files to mark for storage.

Amanda searched the drawer marked F and quickly found it. She brought it to Lee and laughed as she handed it to him, "That's an aptly named project for us right now."

Lee looked over at his wife, her small, rounded belly very noticeable in the sweater she was wearing today, and smiled. "Well, if the boys' reactions to playing with Charlie yesterday were any indication, I think we might have it made," Lee stated.

Amanda sat on the edge of her desk and placed her hand over her belly. "Just because they were able to keep him entertained while Mother ran to help Aunt Edna doesn't necessarily mean they'll be like that all the time. They are busy boys, between their schoolwork and sports, not to mention splitting their time between us and Joe and Carrie," Amanda reminded him.

Lee laughed, "How did Aunt Edna manage to lock herself out yesterday, anyway?"

"I'm not really sure. Mother said she was getting the mail then somehow the door closed behind her, locking her out. It was a good thing her neighbor was home," Amanda shrugged her shoulders.

"Leave it to Aunt Edna," Lee chuckled before he opened the file and began skimming the names on the page, matching each one up to another list on his desk. He jotted down a few notes before closing the file and opening another, repeating the same action.

"What are you working on now?" Amanda inquired. She rubbed her belly, unconsciously, as she leaned closer to Lee.

"I'm just comparing our original list of operatives in Guyana with our current one to be sure we haven't lost tabs on anyone. Part of my new position I guess. Dr. Smyth wants me to go through all our foreign contact lists and make sure they are as up-to-date as they can be," Lee explained.

"So, why is this one named Family?" Amanda asked, shifting again.

"This one is called Family because half of the operatives all come from the same family lineage, although, different branches. Some of the members have started their own small groups and they work with us to help limit the cocaine and weapons smuggled out of the country." Lee studied her carefully before he asked, "Amanda, are you all right? You seem…I don't know… fidgety…today."

Amanda rubbed her hand down the side of her belly and stated, "The baby is a little more active than usual. He or she must want to be a soccer player or something."

Lee immediately scrambled to his feet and placed his hands on either side of her rounded abdomen and asked, "Is it moving now?"

Amanda smiled, covered his hands with hers and stated, "It's too early for you to feel yet but, yes. The baby is moving now. A few more weeks and you'll be able to feel it and see it."

Lee sighed, "And I get to wait…longer. I have to tell you, Amanda, all this waiting is driving me crazy."

"Lee, I'm telling you, eighteen weeks is too early. And hopefully, if Dr. Johansen is right, we'll know what we're having in another two weeks. But if you think this is bad, wait until I go into labor. Then you really know what waiting looks like," she teased. She leaned forward and kissed his lips softly before she pushed herself to a standing position. "Maybe if I keep moving around, the baby will settle down. That worked with Philip and I was so busy chasing him around when I was pregnant with Jamie, I didn't even notice how active he was."

Lee shook his head and gradually allowed his hands to slide off her sweater, "Well, don't overdo it. You heard what Dr. Johansen said at your last appointment."

Amanda closed her eyes and shook her head as she stated, "Yes, Dr. Johansen said my weight was a little higher than he wanted but everything else was fine. He also said this trimester the baby will be growing a lot more and not to overstress myself."

"Right," Lee punctuated his word, holding his index finger high. "And he also said you should start thinking about cutting back on your hours at work soon."

Amanda rolled her eyes and walked back into the vault as she called out, "But I'm not cutting back today. We have a lot of work to do getting this vault finished."

Lee frowned, took several steps forward and leaned onto the doorway of the vault, "I thought you did this back in August? I mean, isn't that what you were doing before we were sent to go find Lauren?"

Amanda pulled another small stack of files off the top of one cabinet and explained, "Yes, back in August I reorganized everything, so now, I'm pulling all the files that are heading down to storage to make room for new files. And, as you know, you pull one file from one spot, you have to find the two or three coordinating files as well."

Lee shook his head and stated, "You're making me dizzy. How about you and I cut out a little early today-" He stopped abruptly when Amanda raised an eyebrow in his direction. "You didn't let me finish…how about we cut out and you can help me at home to organize the lists I have there. Soooo, we are still working, we're just not working, here, in the office."

Amanda dropped the files she had into a partially filled box and sighed, "Well, I guess if we're still going to be working that would be all right."

"And you are much better on the computer than I am, so, I'm sure you'll get through most of what I have at home in no time," Lee stated with a grin.

"And what are you going to be working on while I do your work for you?" she teased.

Lee tipped his head from side to side and said slowly, "Oh, well, I don't know. Maybe getting the boys from school, going shopping, picking up some groceries so we can make dinner for you and your mother tonight. Jamie pointed out it's been a few weeks."

"Uh-huh," Amanda nodded, a grin teasing at the corners of her mouth.

"Unless you don't want us to make dinner…" Lee's voice faded as he turned away.

Amanda stopped him with one hand on his elbow, "No, I think that's a fair trade for tonight. And tell you what, if and I do mean IF I can get your lists finished, maybe I'll make some brownies tonight."

"Ohhh, fudge brownie ice cream sundaes?" Lee licked his lips.

"With whipped cream, if you pick it up at the store," Amanda informed him.

Lee laughed and asked suspiciously, "Why the sundaes? I thought you only wanted to eat healthy stuff?"

Amanda smiled, kissed his cheek and announced, "Your baby likes chocolate. Now, let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Hey, Mom, do you think we can go skiing this weekend?" Jamie asked during dinner.

Amanda looked at him and laughed, "Do you mean can Lee take you and your brother skiing this weekend?"

Jamie looked at Philip and blinked several times. "Isn't that what I asked?" he questioned his brother.

Philip shoveled another bite of steak into his mouth and stated, "Yes and no."

Jamie blinked again, confused. Out of habit, he went to push his glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose but soon remembered he wasn't wearing them. Since Christmas, he had begun wearing his contact lenses more and more.

Amanda laughed not only at Jamie's confusion but his pantomime as well. "Sweetheart, you asked if we could take you skiing and seeing as I'm not really in the best physical condition to go skiing, I simply clarified it would be Lee taking you." Jamie's mouth formed an almost perfect O as it dawned on him. "But I'll tell you what, I'll come along and watch what I can from the lodge. Then, after some hot chocolate by the fire, we can go sledding together."

Dotty smiled at the idea of some much-needed family time for Amanda, Lee and the boys. Her head turned in Lee's direction when she heard him say, "You mean the boys and I can sled, but you'll be watching that, too, right?"

"No, Sweetheart, I can go sledding as well. The mountain has several smaller hills for sledding and tubing and I'm sure it will be fine," Amanda corrected Lee.

Dotty turned and smiled at Amanda at her suggestion but once again her head snapped back in Lee's direction when she heard him complain, "Do you really think you should be doing that? I mean, is it safe? What if you slip and fall? Or what if the sled crashes into another one? Then what?" The muscle in Lee's cheek began to pulse as he bit the inside of his lip.

Amanda placed her fork on the edge of her dish and folded her hands. Jamie immediately knew this sign and kicked Philip under the table. Philip grinned at his brother but quickly lifted his glass of milk to his mouth to hide it.

"Lee, sledding is perfectly safe. It's no more dangerous than walking around the supermarket. I mean, you've been shopping with me and you know how people push those carts around. You don't think someone could crash into me with one of those? Or what about driving in the car? How many times have you swerved to avoid another car because the other driver wasn't paying attention?" Amanda began her litany of examples. "And let's talk about work. Being on locations, even if it is just for an interview."

Lee immediately lifted a finger and interjected, "Yes, let's talk about work. When are you going to start cutting back on your hours as Dr. Johansen suggested?"

Amanda inhaled sharply at her mistake. "I'll cut back after we finish the project we are working on," she replied slowly, carefully choosing her words.

Dotty turned her head to await Lee's response. Jamie and Philip also turned to wait for Lee.

Finally, Lee looked around the table at everyone watching him and said, "What? I'm not allowed to be concerned about Amanda and the baby? It is _my_ baby, too."

Dotty cleared her throat and stated, "Lee, I think you're forgetting something. Amanda has already had two children and she is completely aware of what she is capable of doing and what she isn't. Sledding is not a prohibited activity. She did it when she was pregnant with Philip and he turned out just fine."

Lee's eyes widened when Dotty's words sunk in. "Joe let you go sledding? When you were pregnant?" he gasped.

Dotty laughed loudly at his reaction. "Lee, I think maybe you need to have another conversation with Dr. Johansen about what is dangerous and what isn't," Amanda decided with a grin. She quickly added, "We can call him first thing in the morning if that would make you feel better."

Lee pursed his hips and considered her suggestion. He nodded slightly, lifted his fork and said softly, "I guess that sounds like a good idea."

Jamie slumped his shoulders at the anticlimactic ending to their sparring match. "So if Dr. Johansen says Mom can't go sledding, does this mean we can't go skiing?" he groaned.

"Where did you get that idea?" Lee asked, between bites.

"But I thought…Oh never mind," Jamie groaned. He finished his dinner and stood to clear his plate.

Amanda ran her hand down her belly as the baby was once again active, the butterfly feelings fluttering all around. "I made brownies today," she stated.

Jamie's eyes widened, "Brownies?"

"Do we have ice cream, too?" Philip asked.

"Yes, and If I'm not mistaken I saw some whipped cream in the fridge," Dotty answered. "Another baby with a sweet tooth, I would have to guess," she added with a laugh.

Amanda looked down at her dish and tried to hide her grin. Lee stood to remove the remaining dishes on the table and said, "Actually, there's some hot fudge syrup and that was my idea."

"Well, then, I stand corrected," Dotty nodded with a laugh.

Later that night, as Amanda and Lee were preparing for bed, Amanda was just exiting the bathroom after her nightly shower. She was wearing a simple long sleeve shirt with matching pajama pants. Lee watched as she brushed out her hair, now beginning to fall just past her shoulders, her shirt stretching slightly over her rounded belly each time she raised her arms. Lee sighed happily from his spot on the bed. "What?" Amanda asked when she noticed he was watching her.

"Nothing," Lee shook his head slightly but continued to smile in her direction.

"What?" Amanda asked again, this time with a small, nervous chuckle.

Lee shook his head once more and again stated, "Nothing."

Amanda put the brush down on her bedside table and turned to face Lee. She narrowed her eyes in his direction before she slipped her legs under the blankets before rolling onto her side. Lee followed suit and rolled over to face her. He reached out and rested his hand on her belly. "You look beautiful," he whispered as his fingers gently stroked her stomach.

Amanda pushed up onto her elbow and asked, "Ok, what's going on in that head of yours?"

Lee pushed up into a sitting position and flipped on the light. "What do you mean, what's going on? Can't a guy tell his wife she's beautiful?"

"He can," Amanda stated, "But when said compliment comes after an evening fighting over whether or not said wife is going to go sledding with the family, said wife has to believe there is an ulterior motive for husband's compliment."

Lee reached over and gently cupped Amanda's chin with his hand before pulling her close. He locked his lips over hers for a passionate kiss, leaving her completely breathless. "Still believe there's an ulterior motive?" he asked.

Amanda pulled him closer and returned his kiss before she whispered, "Lock the door."

Lee scrambled off the bed with a deep chuckle to do as he was told.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Dr. Johansen says if you really want, we can come in this morning for a quick consultation," Amanda informed Lee as she held the phone receiver in her hand.

Lee nodded, "If he has the time, then yes, I'd like to do that."

"Thank you, Dr. Johansen. We'll see you in an hour, then," Amanda stated before hanging up the phone. "Feel better now?"

"I will after I get the answers straight from the doctor," Lee replied as he straightened his tie.

Amanda shook her head and laughed, "I thought you hated doctors."

Lee leaned forward and kissed her before he replied, "I do hate doctors, but I happen to like Dr. Johansen. After all, I have to put my full trust in the man that will be delivering our baby, don't I?" Amanda shook her head and stood but winced as she reached her full standing position. Lee heard her sharp intake of pain. "What's wrong?" Lee scanned her face and followed her hand down her belly to where it was massaging a spot just above her hip. He covered her hand with his, unsure of what was going on.

"Nothing's wrong. This is perfectly normal. It's just the ligaments and muscles stretching. Same thing happened with both the boys. I just forgot how painful it can be sometimes," Amanda assured him.

Lee gently massaged the spot Amanda was just rubbing and asked, "You're sure nothing's wrong? We didn't do anything too strenuous last night?"

Amanda leaned into him, wrapped her arms around his midsection and shook her head, "No, last night was perfect."

Lee couldn't hide the smile on his face as his mind drifted off, remembering their romantic interlude the previous night. "It was pretty good, wasn't it," he teased, his fingers still gently working loose the pain in her hip.

Amanda tipped her head back and smiled, "I guess we should make brownies more often. We should get going if we're going to make it to Dr. Johansen's before work. You might want to let Billy know we'll be a few minutes late."

Lee checked his watch and said, "Yeah, I've got a meeting with Dr. Smyth this morning at eleven to go over the latest arrests in Djibouti as well as the last message we got from Allistaire in Egypt. He found more gunrunners over there, so, we've been rounding them up but it's slow."

Amanda gave Lee one last squeeze before she released him and stepped away. She smoothed her blouse over her belly once more and announced, "I'm ready when you are."

Amanda and Lee found Dotty in the kitchen pouring coffee. "Good morning, Mother," Amanda called cheerfully as she entered the room.

Before Dotty could reply, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Lee called out and did an about-face to head to the front door. He pulled it open and smiled when he saw Lauren standing there holding Charlie on her hip. As soon as Charlie saw Lee, his little hands reached out for him, opening and closing them quickly. "Hey, buddy," Lee said as he took the squirming infant from his mother. "Good morning, Lauren. I think Dotty's got coffee on if you're interested."

Lauren followed Lee and Charlie into the kitchen, "Hello, Amanda. What a beautiful blouse. Hello, Dotty."

Lee sat Charlie on the edge of the kitchen island and carefully removed his coat as Charlie began calling out, "Doh, Doh, Doh."

"Good morning to you too, Charlie," Dotty laughed. She snapped the small, portable, tot loc highchair onto the edge of the island and slid one of the stools underneath. "Come on, Charlie, let's get some Oh's for you," she announced as Lee slipped him into the seat and carefully buckled him in.

"You sure this thing is strong enough to hold him?" Lee asked tentatively.

Lauren laughed loudly, "He's a big boy but those seats are designed to hold bigger kids, too."

Amanda rubbed Charlie's head with one hand and said, "I wish they had these when my boys were small. Would have taken up a lot less space and they are much easier to clean."

Lauren happily accepted the steaming mug of coffee Dotty handed her just before she dropped a handful of Cheerios in front of Charlie. "Well, I guess we know what to get Amanda and Lee for a baby gift, don't we," Dotty laughed.

Lee heard the boys' heavy footsteps on the stairs and took a quick look at the clock. "Amanda, we only have a few more minutes before we have to go, otherwise we won't have time to stop at Dr. Johansen's office," he reminded her.

"Morning, Mom," Philip said as he entered the kitchen. "Hey, Lee, can you drop me off at school first today? I wanna meet up with a couple of the guys from basketball and shoot some hoops before the first bell."

Lee grimaced, realizing he had not accounted for driving the boys to school that morning. "Your mother and I were just heading out to stop by her doctor's this morning," Lee explained.

"So, does that mean Grandma's driving?" Philip asked tentatively.

Lauren, who had quietly been observing the morning exchange, offered, "I can drop the boys off. My office isn't too far from their schools and I have a few extra minutes this morning, thanks to Charlie being so cooperative."

Amanda immediately refused, "No, Lauren, you don't have to do that. Lee and I can just-"

"I don't mind at all. Besides, look at everything you have done to help me, it's the least I can do," Lauren insisted.

Amanda turned to Philip and found Jamie standing beside him, both boys currently munching on a piece of toast Dotty had handed them. "Fellas, you behave in the car for Lauren. She's doing us a big favor by dropping you boys off this morning, so no fighting."

Jamie laughed loudly, "Mom, we're not eight and ten anymore. We do know how to behave in the car."

Amanda rolled her eyes at her son, reached out and ruffled his hair. "Good, because if I hear you didn't behave, you're going to lose that video game you got for Christmas," she stated firmly.

"They'll be fine," Lauren assured her. "But anytime you boys are ready to go, I'm ready. Charlie is so wrapped up in his Oh's, he's not even going to notice if I'm gone," she laughed.

Dotty took a sip of her coffee and said, "He notices, just before you come to get him. I swear that baby can already tell time."

Lee got Amanda's coat from the hall closet along with his own and helped Amanda get hers on. "We should be home early tonight. Jamie, you've got self-defense tonight, so try to get your homework done early," he reminded him.

"Grandma, can you get me first today? Eddie asked if he could say hi to Charlie again," Jamie asked with a smile on his face.

Lee smiled, "Your friends like seeing him?"

"Well, Eddie's older brother's wife is having a baby so I think he's trying to get used to them. I'm not really sure," Jamie admitted.

Dotty handed Jamie and Philip their lunches as she said, "If you don't leave now, you're not going to make it early like you want. Yes, I'll get you first today Jamie, but I don't know how much I like Eddie being near Charlie. He's had that cold for the last week or so." She looked over at Charlie who was still shoving the small round pieces of cereal into his mouth with his chubby hands.

"It's okay, Dotty. My doctor has said it's good for him to be exposed to germs," Lauren assured her.

"Well, the last thing you want is a sick baby, believe me," Dotty stated firmly. "And you all better get going, so no one is late." She clapped her hands several times and said, "Go, go, go."

Charlie mimicked her actions, slapping his hands on the countertop shouting "Go! Go! Go!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Dr. Johansen leaned back in his chair and chuckled, "Lee, I assure you, sledding is perfectly safe. And I know Amanda well enough to know she isn't going to do anything dangerous or risky while she's carrying that baby of yours."

Amanda smiled and squeezed Lee's hand as she said, "I tried to tell him that, Dr. Johansen but he's still nervous."

"No worries. Everything will be just fine. You know what I'm going to say…" Dr. Johansen began.

"No big hills, no big bumps. If anything happens, call you right away," Amanda recited Dr. Johansen's typical speech about the safety of certain activities while she was pregnant.

"Good," Dr. Johansen nodded. "How about we take a quick listen before you go?" Dr. Johansen held up the small doppler machine.

Lee nodded his head in agreement. "I'm still amazed how that little device picks up the baby's heartbeat," he stated.

Dr. Johansen placed the wand over Amanda's exposed abdomen and moved the transducer around until the familiar whooshing sound was emitted from the small speaker. "Sounds good. Nice and strong. Are you two still sure you want that second ultrasound?" Dr. Johansen asked as he put the device back on his desk.

"If it means we can find out what the baby is, then yes. Definitely," Lee stated with a sharp nod of his head.

Dr. Johansen laughed, "Have you started taking bets yet as to what you're having?"

Amanda shook her head, "I don't have even the slightest idea. My pregnancies with my boys were both different and with this baby…I don't know. But I do know this one is sure active. And my usual tricks don't seem to work very well."

Lee squeezed her hand and teased, "Well, maybe you should consider cutting back on the chocolate."

"But the baby likes chocolate," Amanda retorted.

Dr. Johansen laughed again, "Whether the baby likes chocolate or not is completely irrelevant. This is an active time for your baby. He or she is growing a lot right now, so you're going to feel more. You being more active isn't going to rock your baby to sleep just yet. Give that another few months when your baby starts running out of room and being all snuggled and cozy, a little extra movement from Mom usually settles them right down. For now, enjoy the fun."

Lee grinned and glanced at Amanda's expanded waistline. "When will I…" he began.

"Give it another two weeks or so then you should start to feel it. It will be soft at first, you'll barely even notice but after that, the entertainment really begins. It might remind you a little bit of that Alien movie, where the creature bursts-" Dr. Johansen explained but stopped when Amanda held her hand up.

"We are **NOT** going to compare our baby to that…thing…from that movie," she stated firmly.

Lee reached out and rubbed her belly as he said, "Don't worry, baby, you won't look like that."

Dr. Johansen laughed loudly and clarified, "I never said your _baby_ will look like that. Just you wait. You'll understand what I'm talking about. Now, I hate to do this but I have another patient coming in just a few minutes. I'll walk you both out."

Amanda and Lee followed Dr. Johansen to the exit and bade him goodbye.

Thirty minutes later they were unlocking the door to the Q Bureau when Francine called them from down the hall, "Lee! You are here!"

"Yeah, we just got in," Lee stated as he pushed the door inward.

"Billy needs you in his office right away," Francine stated.

Lee narrowed his eyes, "What's going on?" He shrugged out of his overcoat and hung it on the coat rack. He took Amanda's coat from her before turning back to face Francine.

"Allistaire called again this morning. He found a faction trying to get their hands on stinger missiles. He's not sure what they're up to but it doesn't sound good," Francine explained.

"No, no that doesn't sound good. Okay, Amanda, I'll probably be downstairs most of the day. If you need me…" Lee stated.

"I know where to find you. Go, before Billy sends up someone else to get you," Amanda pushed him toward the door. "Would you like a cup of coffee, Francine? It'll only take a few minutes and I know it's better than what you have in the bullpen."

Francine sat on the edge of Amanda's desk and smiled, "Coffee sounds perfect." She checked her watch and asked, "Everything all right in the Stetson-King home this morning?"

"Everything was fine this morning. Lauren dropped the boys off at school for us and Mother has Charlie for the day," Amanda informed her as she counted out coffee scoops. She poured water into the reservoir and sat down at Lee's desk to start the processor so the computer would boot up.

"I just thought because you two were late this morning that something may have happened," Francine shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

Amanda inwardly groaned and closed her eyes for a second. "No, we had to stop by the doctor's office this morning, so, Lee could get clarification on what activities are allowed and what isn't," she explained.

Francine giggled. "You mean, like a little tryst in the Vette out of sight from prying eyes?" she teased.

Amanda gave her head a slight shake, "I mean sledding with the boys this weekend."

"Oh," Francine swallowed.

"Lee is under the impression I'm not allowed to do anything, so, we stopped to talk to Dr. Johansen," Amanda replied. She looked over her shoulder to check the level of coffee in the small carafe before facing Francine once more.

"And what did the doctor say?" Francine asked out of curiosity.

Amanda smiled, "Sledding is fine, just like Mother and I tried to tell Lee. And he told us we should be able to determine what we're having in a few more weeks with another ultrasound."

"Oh, that's right. The big ultrasound. Lee was talking about it the other day. It's so weird hearing him bring up things like that. Being all… Dad-like," Francine nodded.

Amanda poured each of them a cup of coffee before getting the milk out of the fridge. She added just a bit to each mug before handing one to Francine. "Mmmm, I love the smell of freshly brewed coffee," she stated. "I brought some leftover brownies from home if you'd like one," she offered and held open the container.

Francine peered at the at fudge confections, raised her hand to take one then quickly pulled it back. "I shouldn't. I just bought that brand-new gown for the Valentine's Day Soiree at the Congressional Club and I want to make sure I fit into it. I have to be very selective the next two weeks on my choices."

Amanda shook the container near her and stated, "It's only one brownie, Francine. Besides, I'm pretty sure you'll be fine. I'll look like a house in the next two weeks at the rate I'm going but you, you'll look fabulous in that dress, I'm sure of it."

Francine eyed the sweet treat once more and said, "Aww hell, one won't push me over, I guess."

"Good choice, Francine, good choice," Amanda teased as Francine chose the largest brownie in the bunch.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Lee sat in the conference room with Billy, Dr. Smyth, and four other agents, going over the latest reports Allistaire had sent. He toyed with the pencil as Dr. Smyth droned on about the White House and how the President wanted results, not reports.

"What about combining forces with the teams in Jordan?" Lee suggested.

One agent, Aaron Lima, lifted his pen, "There's been talk Jordan's taking back the West Bank, so, I'd be willing to bet if we offer to work together, they'll take it."

Lee pursed his lips and nodded in agreement, "I heard that scuttlebutt, too. I would say we take advantage of this."

Billy stood, closed his file and said, "Make it happen people. I'll expect an update by the end of the week." The agents filed out of the room one by one leaving Billy, Dr. Smyth, and Lee alone. "So, Lee, what do you think? You think they'll go for it?"

"I do. Jordan is desperate for help and every other country around it is so volatile right now. It's just a matter of time," Lee stated as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Good. I trust you'll be the one to ensure it does happen," Dr. Smyth declared. "I'll alert the President that a plan is in place." He stood slowly, extracted an engraved, silver case from his coat pocket and snapped it open. He took out one cigarette, closed the case and tapped the paper-wrapped tube of tobacco several times before fitting it into the slender bakelite holder.

Lee watched as Dr. Smyth lit the end with an engraved lighter. "You know, Dr. Smyth, something's been bothering me for a long time. Maybe you can finally answer this question for me," Lee stated.

"Well, go ahead, Scarecrow. What's on your mind?" Dr. Smyth waved the elaborately carved holder in Lee's direction.

Trying hard not to smile, Lee pointed at the item in Dr. Smyth's hands. "I always thought cigarette holders were strictly a woman thing. You know, back in the twenties, when women wanted to keep the ashes from falling on their dresses or to keep the smoke away from their eyes. Why do you use one?"

Dr. Smyth cleared his throat and bit down on the end of the holder. "Well, Scarecrow, you do know how to drop a small bomb into a conversation now don't you," he replied.

"You didn't answer the question," Lee pointed out.

"I simply don't like the stain cigarettes leave on your nails. Very unsanitary, don't you think. Besides, my manicurist would be very unhappy should she have to scrub that off every week, wouldn't you agree?" Dr. Smyth explained.

Lee covered his face with one hand in an attempt to hide his smirk as he said, "Your manicurist doesn't like it. Well, I guess we know where our hard-earned tax dollars go."

Dr. Smyth bit down tightly on the end of the holder once more, "My personal grooming habits are none of your business, Scarecrow. Now, I'll be sure to give the President your best while I'm giving him an update on our meeting today." He pulled the door open and stormed off down the hall as Billy and Lee began laughing.

"Seriously, Scarecrow, you do know how to get under his skin," Billy chuckled loudly.

Lee laughed and then coughed several times as he said, "And he gets under mine."

"Well, now that we have a plan for Allistaire, we can move onto some other business. How is Amanda feeling?" Billy smiled.

Lee stood, stacked his file folders and nodded, "She's doing good. No more morning sickness and she says the baby is getting pretty active, although I can't feel it yet."

"I was a little concerned when she left a message you were stopping by her doctor this morning," Billy said.

"Oh, that. Yeah," Lee groaned as he ran his hand over the back of his neck nervously. He opened the door for Billy and followed him into the hallway. "We, um… the boys want to go skiing this weekend and Amanda said she couldn't ski but she wanted to sled with them and I didn't think it was a good idea," Lee admitted.

Billy laughed as he said, "So, you checked with her doctor? Lee, sledding is one of those things that is completely harmless, unless you're starting at the top of the mountain, that is."

"I know that now. I just wanted to make sure, you know," Lee groaned again.

"Trust your wife, Lee," Billy assured him. "She's been through this before, remember?"

Lee shook his head, "I know she has. I'm just nervous I guess. But we did get to hear the heartbeat again." Lee couldn't hide his smile.

Billy smiled back at him and stopped walking before they entered the bullpen. "When will Amanda be cutting back on her hours?" he asked softly.

"I'm trying to get her to start cutting back, but you know her. She's reorganizing the vault again, pulling all the old files and having them brought down to storage. She's not going to cut back until she's done," Lee explained.

Billy patted him on the shoulder and reminded him, "Just think, the longer she stays in the vault, the less trouble she can get herself into."

"Billy, you do realize this is Amanda we're talking about here. She can get herself into trouble in a broom closet," he teased.

"Just don't let her hear you say that," Billy laughed. He inhaled sharply when Amanda's voice drifted from around the corner. "Speak of the devil, here she comes now." The two men stepped into the bullpen to find Amanda standing near Francine's desk, a stack of folders in her hands. "Good morning, Amanda. What brings you down here?" Billy asked.

"Good morning, sir. I found a bunch of files that needed to be signed off on from last year, so I figured I would bring them down here to you," Amanda explained cheerfully.

Billy accepted the stack of files and smiled, "Well, I guess I should thank you for being so diligent. I don't know how these made it up to the vault in the first place." He turned his attention to Francine who immediately shrugged her shoulders. He continued his gaze to where Lee was standing, rubbing the back of his neck again.

"It was no trouble at all, sir. I'm just doing my best to get everything organized as much as I can, as soon as I can," Amanda replied with a smile.

"Nesting already. Jeannie went through that. Had our whole house organized and labeled before our oldest was born. Longest four months of our marriage," Billy laughed.

Amanda simply smiled and said, "I'm not sure if it's that or just my usual organized self but it needs to be finished regardless."

Billy nodded, "Well, don't work too hard doing it." He turned to face Lee once more and said, "As a matter of fact, Scarecrow, as soon as you finish that report for Dr. Smyth, why don't you and Amanda take the rest of the day off."

"No, sir, you don't need to do that. I really want to get the vault finished as soon as possible. I mean, when the time comes and I won't be able to bend down and get up easily, I won't be able to reach those bottom drawers so I want to get it all done now," Amanda rambled.

Billy smiled and assured her, "Amanda, it doesn't need to get done all at once."

Amanda smiled back, her eyes wide as she said, "But if I don't finish it, who will? Lee? Francine? Sir, I don't mean to sound rude but you've seen Lee's desk right? Especially on the days when I don't get a chance to straighten it out for him."

Billy reached out and touched her shoulder, "I know. And I remember what his apartment used to look like, too."

"Hey, that was the old me, remember. The me before I met Amanda," Lee defended himself.

"Oh, yes, the 'love em and leave em Lee' days," Francine teased.

"Love em and leave em? Really, Francine? Is that what you thought I was… something short of a gigolo?" Lee gasped.

Amanda laughed lightly as she replied, "Well, if the shoe fits, Stetson, you wore it."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Hey, little guy, where are you going?" Lee laughed at Charlie as he scooped him up before Charlie pulled himself up on the first step of the stairs.

Amanda rubbed Charlie's head and called out, "Mother?"

Dotty's head popped up from the other side of the couch, "I'm here. I just bent down to pick up the truck he dropped and now he's way over there. I forgot how quick they move."

Lee placed Charlie back down on the floor and watched as the busy infant immediately crawled in the direction of the stairs again. This time it was Amanda who picked him up laughing, "Not that way, Charlie."

"I thought he just learned to crawl, what, two, three weeks ago?" Lee asked, suddenly confused at Charlie's new mobility.

Dotty stood and laughed loudly, "It doesn't take much when they are this age. They master everything much quicker than you'd expect. For example, how long did it take for him to figure out how to get that cereal into his mouth? Once those little teeth cut through, rice cereal mixed with fruit wasn't enough for him. Now, he eats almost a full handful of Cheerios before I can even sit down." Amanda passed him off to Dotty who declared, "Into the family room we go, little man. I can put the gate up in there."

"Well, at least we know the first thing we need to order is a gate for the stairway," Amanda announced as she pulled off her coat. She tucked it away in the closet and moved up the stairs stating, "I'm going to get changed. Mother, where are the boys?"

"Philip and Jimmy are in his room working on homework, and Jamie is downstairs," Dotty called from the family room.

Lee looked at Amanda, paused on the third step and suggested, "A little divide and conquer? I'll check on Jamie."

"And I'll check on Philip and Jimmy," she replied with a smile. Amanda climbed the remaining stairs and turned down the hall. She knocked on Philip's door, "Hey, fellas, how's your homework coming?"

Jimmy was sitting at Philip's desk, a math book open in front of him, a black three-ring binder filled with paper and a few scratchy notes. "Hi, Mrs. Stetson," Jimmy replied as he looked up.

Philip was sitting on his bed, his back against the wall, with his book also open and his notebook in his lap, "Hey, Mom. You're home early."

Amanda smiled, "We finished up early today. How's your homework coming?" She tried to read Jimmy's notes but was unable to decipher his handwriting. She even tried to look at his open book but the page it was turned to was just a series of letters and numbers.

"I'm not sure. Does Lee know anything about Algebra and how to write out equations?" Philip scratched his head with the eraser on his pencil.

"He's pretty good with math, I think. Why, are you stuck on something?" Amanda leaned against the doorway and rubbed the side of her belly.

Philip lifted his book and stood closer to his mother. "Kind of. We're supposed to take these equations and solve them. But I'm not sure if I'm doing it right," he explained.

"Me either," Jimmy admitted. "I was going to ask my dad but he's away for a few days for work. He's really good with this stuff." Jimmy flipped the page in his book back several pages to a diagram explaining the steps. He looked at the equation written down and sighed. "I'm just confused. This says 'X + 3(5-3) = 12'? I don't understand." He raised his shoulders and sighed loudly.

Amanda sighed softly as she continued to massage the right side of her belly. "Let me change my clothes first then I'll have Lee come up and see if he can help. How's that sound?" she suggested.

"Hey, Mom, can Jimmy stay for dinner?" Philip asked, his eyes wide. "Please?"

Amanda frowned slightly and asked softly, "Is everything okay at home, Jimmy?" She thought back to Halloween weekend when Jimmy and a few other friends had spent the night. Jimmy had tried to break into the cabinet Lee kept the liquor in, however, Lee caught him. The next day, they had a sit down with Jimmy and his father and step-mother. Since that weekend, Jimmy seemed to have made a turnaround. He was more polite and his grades in school had improved.

Jimmy nodded, "Everything is fine at home. Maryanne said something about getting Sushi for dinner and I don't know how to tell her I really don't like it. Raw fish… blech."

Amanda laughed and said, "Tell you what, why don't you invite Maryanne here for dinner instead? We're having spaghetti and meatballs and there's always plenty."

Jimmy's eyes lit up, "You really don't mind?"

"No, Jimmy, we really don't. That will give you and Philip some more time to work on that homework too," Amanda assured him. "The phone is in the kitchen but I would call sooner rather than later. You don't want her ordering a pickup on her way, now do you?"

Jimmy pushed the chair back and stood quickly, "Thank you, Mrs. Stetson!" He sidestepped her in the doorway and jogged down the stairs, disappearing into the kitchen.

Amanda turned to leave Philip's room but stopped when she heard him calling her, "Mom? I want to thank you…and Lee…for giving Jimmy a chance after what happened. I mean, he's a good kid but sometimes I felt like I was the only one that knew it. He can be pretty stupid sometimes."

Amanda looked at her son and smiled, "You don't have to thank us. Just promise me you will keep making the right choices."

"I will, Mom. Hey, how's little junior today?" Philip laughed as Amanda continued to rub her side.

"Well, your brother or sister is very busy today. So busy, as a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Lee could feel it," Amanda stated.

"If I could feel what?" Lee asked as he stepped beside her.

Amanda jumped in surprise and hit his arm jokingly as she reprimanded him, "Don't do that!"

Lee simply looked at her and laughed. "How's the homework?" he asked turning to Philip.

"Eh," Philip groaned. "We could use your help if you know how to do it." Philip moved the binder off his lap and scooted to the edge of his bed carrying his book. "Do you know how to figure out these?" he asked.

Lee looked at the list, flipped back several pages to the table then back to the list again. He skimmed the pages between and nodded his head. "I think so. It's not as hard as it looks," he assured him.

Amanda patted Lee on the shoulder and said, "While you fellas figure that out, I'm going to get changed. Jimmy is inviting Maryanne for dinner, too, so no rush on the homework." She started to step away but Lee stopped her.

"You didn't answer the question. If I could feel what?" Lee reminded her.

Amanda laughed loudly, "I said, the baby is so active I wouldn't be surprised if you could feel it too." She walked away, leaving Lee's mouth open slightly in shock.

She was halfway up the stairs to their room when she heard him mumble, "I'll be back," to Philip. He bounded up the stairs after her, "Amanda, wait a minute." Amanda continued into their bedroom where she closed the door behind him before pulling off her sweater. "What do you mean, you think I could feel it? I thought you said earlier it was going to be a few more weeks?" he questioned.

"Come over here," Amanda instructed him as she sat on the couch in their room and put her feet up. She was wearing nothing more than a simple cotton bra and her maternity pants. Lee raised an eyebrow in her direction before winking at her. "Not for that!" she clarified. "Give me your hand," she stated. Lee sat beside her and reached out, allowing her to place his hand along the side of her belly she had been rubbing earlier. "Now, it's not real strong, but I thought I felt something earlier, downstairs in Philip's room."

Lee held his breath and concentrated on his fingers, gently pressing against her skin. After what felt like an eternity, he exhaled loudly. "Nothing," he groaned.

"Just wait," Amanda instructed. She repositioned his hand slightly lower and leaned to the side a bit. Lee felt her press his fingers a little tighter just before he felt something move slightly beneath his fingertips. His eyes grew wide as he felt it again. "Did you feel that?" Amanda asked, tears forming in her eyes.

"Oh, baby, did I ever!" Lee exclaimed. He leaned forward to kiss her softly as he said, "I love you."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Several days later, Lee finished securing their skis on the roof racks of Amanda's Jeep. "Are you sure you don't want to come along, Dotty?" Lee asked again.

Dotty sipped her coffee, tightened her robe once more and declared, "And stand in the cold all day? No, thank you. No, I'm going to concentrate on a good book and enjoying the quiet for a change."

Amanda stepped into the garage, carrying a bag. "Here, I thought a change of clothes for the ride home for you and the boys might be a good idea. That way if anyone gets wet, they won't have to stay wet," she stated as she placed the bag in the back of the car. "The boys will be down any minute. I have hot chocolate on the stove waiting for them, a travel mug of coffee for you, some tea for me and a big bag of snacks for the ride."

Lee checked his watch, "If we don't leave soon, we won't have a lot of time to ski this morning. I thought the boys wanted to get an early start?"

"They did until Philip was on the phone until late last night with Susie Bancroft," Amanda giggled.

Lee rolled his eyes, "Another new girl? I can't keep track anymore." He tugged on the tie-down straps once more and declared, "I'm ready when they're ready."

"We're ready!" Jamie announced, trotting into the garage. He carried his snow pants and ski jacket in one hand and his small ski-bag in the other.

"Why didn't you put your pants in your bag, Chief?" Lee asked.

Before Jamie could answer, Amanda walked back into the house stating, "I'll get the drinks."

"I couldn't fit my pants in my bag because I have my helmet, my gloves, my goggles, my neckroll in case it's super windy, a hat for when I take my helmet off, an extra sweatshirt in case I get cold and a t-shirt in case I get hot," Jamie rattled off the contents of the bag he carried.

Lee laughed and added, "I think you forgot the kitchen sink."

"Nah, I got that for him!" Philip interjected as he stepped into the garage carrying a bag the same size as Jamie's and his snow pants in his hands as well.

Lee looked from one boy to the other and stated, "I guess we should have gotten you boys bigger bags then for Christmas. How long have you had those bags anyway?"

Philip shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I don't remember. We've had them for so long…I think Dad got them for us, somewhere…"

Dotty shook her head, "That's right. Joe got them for the boys when they were about four and six. I think he was in Japan at that point…or maybe he was in Switzerland attending some conference. Anyway, I agree, it's high time the boys got some new bags. I'll keep my eyes open when I go shopping next week. After all, I have another new baby to start buying things for." Amanda returned to the garage, her hands full of travel mugs for everyone. "Darling, let me help you with those before you drop something," Dotty took two of the mugs out of Amanda's hands.

"Thank you, Mother," Amanda replied with a smile.

Lee surveyed everything in the back of the car, nodded then announced, "Last chance to use the bathroom or get anything else. It's a three-hour ride..." He laughed loudly as the words were barely out of his mouth when Jamie and Philip scrambled back into the house.

Amanda put her purse and the bag of snacks on the floor of the front seat and reminded Lee, "I won't make it that far without one pit stop."

Lee continued to laugh and agreed, "I know but if we can avoid three or four stops, we might still get there by ten."

Dotty followed Lee and Amanda back into the house where she settled herself on the couch. She pulled the throw blanket up over her legs and sighed. "Dotty, I feel bad you got up early to help pack the car," Lee stated.

Dotty shook her head, "It's all right, Lee. I would hate to sleep in and miss half the day. No, I'm just going to rest right here for a bit and finish my coffee." She took a sip of her drink, emphasizing her point.

Lee plucked the half-filled mug from her hand, "Let me refill it first. It's the least I can do." Without waiting for an answer, Lee took her mug into the kitchen and returned a minute later. "There you go."

"Goodbye, Grandma. Have fun without us today!" Jamie called as he scooted back into the garage.

Philip stopped in the doorway and suggested, "Why don't you see what Captain Curt is doing today? Maybe you two can hang out together or something."

Dotty grinned over the rim of her glass, raised her eyebrows and whispered, "Or something is right." She looked up at Lee, still watching her and said louder, "What time do you think you'll be back?"

Lee chuckled loudly at her suggestive tone and replied, "Not for hours. Probably not until, oh I don't know, eight, nine o'clock tonight. The boys and I can ski for a few hours, take a lunch break with Amanda. Then I promised her some sledding since Dr. Johansen said it was fine. We won't leave there until five probably. Maybe we'll stop and get dinner on the way home unless the boys just want a drive-thru meal."

Dotty sighed, "Sounds like a perfect day. What mountain are you heading to, again?"

"Wisp, Mother," Amanda reminded her as she stepped beside Lee. "Lee might be an expert skier but the boys are far from it. This gives them some good intermediate slopes without being too difficult." She leaned forward and kissed the top of Dotty's head, "Have a good day."

Dotty reached up and hugged Amanda briefly, "You too, darling."

Lee clapped his hands together and announced, "Time to go!" He shuffled Amanda into the garage where the boys were already waiting in the car. Once everyone was buckled up, Lee carefully backed the car out of the garage and slowly drove away.

They arrived at the mountain only forty-five minutes later than expected. Lee had to stop twice for Amanda to use the restroom. Even Jamie had to resist the urge to tease his mother when she announced the second time she couldn't wait any longer.

"Okay, boys, you start unloading, I'll head over and get the lift tickets then meet you by the lodge entrance. Then we can get your mom settled with all of our gear and we try out the trails," Lee instructed. Jamie and Philip nodded in agreement as they climbed out of the car, Jamie headed to the tailgate and Philip began loosening the straps on the top. Ten minutes later, they waited for Lee by the doors to the lodge. Lee jogged over, almost slipping twice on the fresh snow. "They just finished grooming a few trails so the skiing should be perfect," Lee informed them.

Jamie and Philip excitedly picked up the bags and carried everything inside. Amanda found a table near the windows where she had a perfect vantage point of the lifts. She carefully unpacked the bags, laying out the items each of her boys needed, leaving Lee to organize the rest of their things. They were all ready in just a few minutes and Amanda settled into the soft, padded chair by the window. "Have a great time, fellas," she said, earning a kiss from each of them.


	8. Chapter 8

**This chapter contains adult themes. If you are not comfortable, please move on to the next chapter.**

**Chapter 8**

It was almost ten o'clock that night when Lee pulled into the driveway of their Arlington home. He exhaled softly as he carefully guided Amanda's car into the garage. Once the door closed behind them, he turned and gently shook Philip and Jamie awake. "Hey, fellas, we're home. Leave your stuff in the car for tonight. We'll get it in the morning," he said quietly.

Jamie blinked several times before slipping his glasses on and stretching. Philip grunted, scratched his head and closed his eyes again. Jamie shook him gently once more, "Come on, your bed is more comfortable," he whispered, his voice still husky with sleep.

Philip yawned loudly, stretched then looked around the car, confused. He started to grab the bag at his feet but Lee shook his head once more. "Just leave it. It's okay. Go get some sleep. You fellas did great on the slopes today. I'm sure you're going to feel it tomorrow," Lee said. Philip mumbled something incoherent before pulling the door handle. He stumbled out of the car, laughing softly that he almost fell before he headed into the house.

Lee looked over at Amanda, still asleep on the seat beside him, her hand resting protectively on her belly. He reached over and gently stroked her face until she leaned into his hand. "Hey, we're home," he smiled.

"Hmm, we are? How long was I asleep?" Amanda muttered sleepily.

"For the better part of two hours. I guess all the fresh air this afternoon was good for everyone," Lee teased.

Amanda covered her mouth and yawned. "Are the boys…" she began.

"Already on their way to bed. They fell asleep about an hour ago so they should sleep the night through. You on the other hand… let's get you in bed before you wake up too much," Lee explained. He got out of the car and quickly made his way around to her door. He offered his hand to help her out of the car, but stopped to give her a brief kiss before she walked away.

"Bathroom first, then I need some water. Or juice. No, make it juice," Amanda babbled indecisively.

Lee shook his head and closed her door. He locked the car, hit the button for the garage door and followed Amanda inside. He poured her a glass of apple juice before he took his coat off and headed to the closet. Lee wasn't surprised to find Amanda already in the kitchen, the juice half gone. "What? I was thirsty," she shrugged when he laughed.

Lee simply shook his head and said, "I'll empty the car in the morning. The stinky ski clothes will keep until then. Let's go to bed."

Amanda downed the rest of the glass and rinsed the cup before she followed Lee up the stairs. He stopped long enough to check on the boys. Philip was wandering out of the bathroom in the direction of his room and Jamie was just climbing into bed. "See you guys in the morning," Lee commented.

"Hey, Lee?" Philip called. "Thanks for taking us today."

Lee smiled and nodded, "If the skiing stays that good, we'll go again soon." Philip smiled back before flipping off his light and climbing into bed. Amanda was still waiting on the stairs for him, wearing a smile of her own. "What?" Lee questioned as he placed his arm around her waist. Together they climbed the remaining steps to their room, Amanda simply chuckled softly. "What?" Lee asked again.

Amanda flipped their light on and replied, "I still can't get my mind wrapped around you and the boys. I mean, it was only ten months ago I was holding Jamie trying to explain to him I loved him just as much as I love you."

Lee smiled at the memory of when he watched Amanda, with her arms around her son, as she calmly explained that when you love someone new it doesn't mean you stop loving the rest of the people in your life. He was amazed by her openness with her boys and their trust in her. He knew Jamie wasn't his biggest fan at that time, his fears about losing his mother too vivid after her shooting in California. But, thanks to Amanda and her guidance, he now felt the relationship between him and his stepsons was very strong.

Lee leaned into Amanda, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly on the lips, "And if it wasn't for you, none of it would have happened." Amanda responded to his kiss immediately, her body tingling as she parted her lips, inviting him to deepen their contact. Lee hummed, a low, deep sound in his chest as he swept his tongue across her teeth. He teased her lips once more before he finally leaned back, "I thought you were tired?"

"Not anymore. I think I need to be given a reason to be tired again," Amanda teased, kissing him again. She slowly pulled off her jacket and tossed it onto the chair behind Lee with a wink. Lee leaned to the door and quickly locked it. He started to turn off the light but was surprised to hear Amanda say softly, "Leave them on. I want to see you in the light."

"Oh, really, Mrs. Stetson. Do you have something specific in mind?" he asked suggestively.

Amanda tugged his shirt out of his jeans and ran her hand across his ribs. "Yes, actually. I was thinking of that spill you took earlier and I want to make sure you're all right. No bruises or anything. So why don't you take these off," she stated as she tugged on his waistband, "and let me examine you."

Lee laughed loudly and yanked his shirt over his head, tossing it onto the chair with her coat. "That fall wasn't that bad. I was more worried about that girl that got in my way, that's all," he explained, unzipping his pants. He kicked his way out of them, leaving on just his boxer shorts.

Amanda pointed at the bed. "Over there. Let's go," she commanded with a smile. Lee did as he was told and crossed the room to sit on the bed. He waited as Amanda pulled her sweater over her head first then removed the sweatpants she was wearing, leaving her in a pink camisole and matching panties.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that," Lee commented with a dimpled smile.

"Back up and lay down so I can get a good look at you," Amanda commanded again. Lee scrambled backward several feet and did as she said.

Amanda sat on the bed beside him and began tracing her fingers across the muscles of his chest and abdomen. "Nothing here," she stated before moving lower to the waistband of his boxers. "Maybe, hidden under here," she suggested. Lee lifted his hips slightly and wriggled out of the light blue material, leaving him completely bare. Amanda traced his hip bones and waist and carefully inspected his skin before taking his engorged shaft in her hands. "I don't see any damage anywhere, so I guess I'll have to be sure nothing affects your performance," she whispered before leaning forward and taking him into her mouth.

Lee groaned loudly at the sudden heat surrounding him. "Manda, my God," he moaned. She began to establish a rhythm which quickly pushed him to the edge. He squeezed her shoulder and gently pushed her away. "Too much right now. My turn," he explained and rolled her onto her back on the bed beside him.

Lee began teasing her skin with kisses down her neck to the thin strap of her camisole. He pushed the silky hem upward, until his palm cupped her swollen breast, drawing an involuntary gasp from her lips. She reached down and pulled the material off before she pulled him down to her for a passionate kiss. Lee smiled against her lips and wriggled free. He lowered his head to her breast and gently suckled the sensitive tip earning him another cry of passion. "Sweetheart," she begged. Lee carefully pushed her panties down with one hand, balancing on the other. He kissed her belly as he descended lower. Before he could capture his prize, he heard her begging, "Please."

Lee reached down and gently stroked her hot center, already dripping with need. He knew she was already close simply by the heat eminating from her body and he had barely touched her. "You sure?" he asked softly as he kissed his way back up to her breasts. Amanda simply nodded her head rapidly before she buried her hands in his hair.

Carefully, Lee covered her body with his own, keeping most of his weight on his elbows. He slipped into her warm passage with ease and smiled when Amanda cried out softly. He kept his strokes long and even as Amanda shifted her hips and wrapped her legs around him.

When her breath came in short, sharp cries, he leaned to the side slightly and captured her knee with his elbow, bringing her leg higher. He penetrated her deeply, striking the sensitive bundle of nerves with every stroke. Amanda's body poured off heat as she climbed higher than she thought possible.

Lee covered her mouth with his as her cries became louder before she tightened around him. He pumped his hips harder and faster until he succumbed to his own release, Amanda was still clinging to him. He fell to the side, taking her with him as he rolled onto his back, slipping free from her body in the process.

"I love you," she whispered against his chest, still breathless.

"I love you. You know, we're going to have to come up with a few new ideas if we want to continue this for a few more months," Lee teased.

Amanda pushed up onto her elbow and looked into his hazel eyes, still fully dilated. "I know a few things we can do that will keep us both happy," she stated.

Lee leaned over and kissed her as he said, "I look forward to it."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Sunday passed quietly, the boys sleeping in later than usual. Amanda woke up just before nine and found Lee in the kitchen reading a note from Dotty. "She and Curt took a late-night drive last night. That explains why her car wasn't here when we got home," Lee explained as he poured Amanda a cup of tea.

"I didn't even notice. I wonder what time she got home," Amanda commented, drawing a laugh from Lee. "What?"

"She still hasn't come home. Her car's not in the driveway and I checked her room just to be sure," Lee laughed again.

Amanda's eyes widened and she immediately got nervous, "You don't think she had an accident last night do you? Oh, Sweetheart, she's not a very good driver at night."

Lee laughed again, kissed her on the tip of her nose and shook his head, "No, I would be willing to bet she never left Curt's last night. As a matter of fact…" he began but stopped when they heard the sound of keys in the front door. "As a matter of fact, I'll bet that's her right now."

Dotty was just taking off her coat when Amanda walked into the foyer, "Mother! I was so worried about you!"

Dotty simply smiled and patted Amanda's arm, "No need to be. I'm home, safe and sound." She took several steps toward the kitchen and inhaled. "Coffee! Exactly what I need right now."

Amanda followed her, "Mother! You didn't come home last night, you didn't call." Dotty reached into the cabinet for a mug, purposefully ignoring Amanda. "Mo-ther!" Amanda groaned once more.

Dotty stopped pouring her coffee and looked at Amanda, "Darling, it just got too late for me to drive home. And, I was…distracted." Lee placed his hand over his mouth to muffle his laughter as he watched Amanda's face flicker from genuine concern to embarrassment as she realized what Dotty was referring to. "Just think, all those times you couldn't call me to tell me you wouldn't be home because you were working and there was no phone. Now you know how I felt," Dotty emphasized.

"But, Mother, you knew when I left the house I was going to work and you knew I was working," Amanda groaned but Lee's laughter told Dotty there was more to the story. Amanda turned to him and said, "We were working. Most of the time, anyway."

"Right, Darling, we'll go with that," Dotty patted Amanda on the arm again and sipped her coffee. "I'm going to head up and take a nice long bath before I start anything today. What are your plans? Anything I should know about? Are you working today?" Dotty questioned.

Lee looked at the clock on the wall and groaned, "Actually, yeah, I have to meet someone in about an hour. I shouldn't be gone long though. I do want to get the car unloaded though before I go."

Amanda raised an eyebrow in his direction, "Oh? Who do you have a meeting with today?"

Lee glanced over at Dotty, whose back was turned to him and said quietly, "Dr. Smyth left a message on the office line." Louder he added, "Austin has a few things he needs me to go over for that story he's working on."

Amanda nodded, "Well, you tell Austin, today is your day off and he can't keep you all day. Otherwise, he's going to have to deal with me on Monday."

Lee inhaled, "Will do. It should be a very short meeting, I promise but let me get that ski gear off the car." He stood quickly and took his coffee mug with him into the garage, leaving Amanda and Dotty alone.

Amanda unconsciously rubbed her belly once more, something Dotty noticed immediately. "Is the baby moving?" she asked with an excited smile.

Amanda looked down and nodded, "Yes, and Lee got to feel it the other day. It was soft but he still felt it."

Dotty put her mug down and rushed around the island to stand beside Amanda. "He did! Oh, Amanda, you didn't tell me. This baby must be bigger than the boys were because you weren't able to feel them this early."

"I think this baby is definitely bigger and a lot more active but as Dr. Johansen said, every baby is different. This one might just be sitting in that one spot that makes it easier to feel this early," Amanda explained. She took Dotty's hand and placed it over one spot on her belly, gently pressing her fingers down. She felt the baby shift and Dotty's eyes teared up immediately. She was completely speechless by what she was feeling. Dotty put her arms around Amanda and hugged her tightly.

Lee returned to the kitchen carrying several bags. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Dotty crying, her arms around Amanda. "What happened? Did Curt do something?" he demanded.

Amanda laughed, "No, Sweetheart, Mother just felt the baby move, that's all."

Lee shook his head as a smile creased his face, "It's incredible how something that small can change everything."

"Yeah, like right now that small something thinks my bladder is a soccer ball," Amanda groaned.

Lee leaned down until he was eye-level with her belly and said, "Listen, Kemosabe, give your mother a break. She's taking good care of you in there, so let's keep this living arrangement you have going on amicable, huh?"

Amanda and Dotty both laughed as she declared, "We are not naming the baby, Kemosabe, so just get that thought right out of your head."

"I didn't say we had to but the baby needs a nickname, too. Jamie ended up as Chief and Philip is Ace, so Kemosabe it is for the baby," Lee explained. When Amanda grimaced, he added, "For now. Until we know exactly what we're having. Then I'll figure something out."

Amanda smiled, "That sounds like a plan. And tell you what, I'll get the laundry started if you finish getting the skis off."

"Already done," Lee declared.

"Good, then you head up and take a shower, I'll start getting together a grocery list," Amanda stated.

"And I'm going to head up to my room and take that bath," Dotty stated before leaving the kitchen.

Lee leaned close to Amanda and suggested, "How about you take a shower with me and we can start working on a few other position ideas? I have one particular idea in mind but I'm not sure if it would work or not."

Amanda kissed his lips briefly and said, "Give me five minutes but don't use all the hot water."

Lee threw his head back and laughed, "I'll take my time getting undressed."

Amanda hugged him once more and stated, "If I didn't say it yesterday, thank you. The boys had a marvelous time and it was great to see the three of you, laughing and having fun. I know it's not always easy, especially with Joe around as much as he is."

"Hey," Lee kissed her forehead, "I know there are going to be tough days with them and they're not always going to listen to me, but I'll take days like yesterday as often as we can. And maybe, someday, we can take them to Germany again and let them ski the slopes there."

Amanda squeezed him tightly once more, slapped his backside playfully with one hand and said, "But we will not be getting arrested for passing counterfeit money nor will we be working a case of assassination of any public figures."

"I promise. Besides after Bunny Diamond and her crew, I've seen enough funny money to last me a lifetime," Lee joked. "Oh, and one more thing."

"What's that?" Amanda looked up at his face.

"What do you want to name the baby? I mean, I'm sure you've already started thinking about names," Lee stated.

Amanda shook her head, "No, actually, I haven't. I was thinking we should both make a list of boys and girls names we like and go through it together. Then once we know for sure what the baby is, we can narrow it down and make our decision."

Lee narrowed his eyes and accused, "So, you have been thinking about it."

"Not names, just the idea. But then again, maybe a list isn't such a great idea. After all, the last time you made a list…" Amanda began but Lee put his finger over her lips to silence her.

"I think a list of names is a great idea. And I can't get in trouble for that one, now can I?" Lee stated.

"No girls names ending in I, and no sports players names," Amanda clarified.

"No Randi?" Lee teased. Amanda shook her head slowly so he added, "Or Cyndi? What about Leslie? That would work for a boy or girl…Or what about…"

"Shut up and kiss me!" Amanda demanded with a laugh before Lee did exactly as he was told.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Lee entered the house and called out, "Amanda?" Not getting a response, he tossed his keys onto the small table beside the door and shrugged out of his coat. He hung it over the banister of the stairway and called out again, "Amanda?" He shook his head and wandered into the kitchen where he found a note waiting for him.

"Lee, Mother and I went shopping, the boys went to the movies with Joe. See you later," Lee read aloud. "Great! She's really not going to like this," he groaned. He checked his watch before taking the stairs to the bedroom two by two. He pulled his suitcase out of the closet and dropped it on the bed. He spent the next ten minutes packing, mumbling the entire time how much he disliked Dr. Smyth. He didn't hear Amanda and Dotty come home nor did he notice when she stepped into the bedroom, a confused look on her face.

"Sweetheart? What are you doing?" Amanda asked.

Lee looked up from his suitcase and sighed, "Hi, I didn't hear you come home. How was shopping?" Lee continued to arrange the clothes in the bag as he watched her face.

"Lee, what's going on?" Amanda demanded as she watched him tuck another shirt in the bag. Lee didn't respond, he simply shook his head and zipped the top section. "Does this have anything to do with your meeting with Dr. Smyth today?" she questioned him. She folded her arms across her chest, shifted her weight to one side and she waited for an answer.

Lee ran his hand through his hair nervously before he nodded slowly, "Yes, this has to do with my meeting today. I thought he just wanted my updated report from Gourad but that's not exactly what he was looking for."

Amanda took a step forward, "What was he looking for, exactly?"

Lee looked back at his suitcase, crossed the room to his bureau and took out a few t-shirts and boxer shorts. He returned to the bed and arranged the items in his bag. "He, um, he said… um…" Lee stammered. Amanda raised an eyebrow as she waited for his explanation. Lee sank down on the edge of the bed and wiped his hands on his knees. "Amanda, I have to head to Djibouti for a few days. Dr. Smyth wants a visual on what's happening."

"What do you mean you have to go? I thought he said you wouldn't be traveling, that you'd be staying right here, running the task force from here?" Amanda snapped.

Lee inhaled slowly, "He's not confident Gourad has everything under control and he wants me to be sure."

"I don't believe this," Amanda groaned. "And I'm sure he's completely upset about sending you there too, isn't he," she snarked.

Lee stood and put his hands on her shoulders, "Amanda, listen, I'm not any happier than you are about this. I tried to tell him I didn't need to go, that I could handle everything from here but he wouldn't listen."

"Well, then you need to call him back and make him listen!" she stated firmly.

Lee shook his head and insisted, "I tried, believe me, I tried. Billy tried, but he doesn't care about favors or protocol or anything but how he looks to the President and because the President wants answers, I'm the one that's going to have to get them."

Amanda fought back the tears that formed in her eyes. "When do you leave?" she whispered as she dropped her chin, feeling defeated.

Lee dropped his forehead against hers before pulling her into his arms. "My flight leaves in two hours," he whispered, his lips brushing her temple.

Amanda closed her eyes, the tears slipping down her face. She pressed her cheek against his and whispered, "Just make sure you come home."

"Hey, don't think like that. I'm not going to be taking any chances, believe me," Lee replied softly. "I'm going to check in with Billy and with you every chance I get."

Amanda stepped back and wiped her cheeks, "When will you be back?"

Lee sighed again and sat back down on the bed, "A few days, a week maybe. He wants a detailed report on everything."

Amanda rolled her eyes upward and dropped her head back. "Our appointment is on the fifteenth. Will you be back before then?" she reminded him.

Lee jumped up and put his hands on her arms, "Amanda, I wouldn't miss that for the world. I'll do whatever it takes to make it back to find out what our baby is if I have to take a rowboat across the Atlantic."

"You can't row a boat straight, remember," Amanda teased him through her tears.

Lee wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her close to his chest once more, "I can too row a boat straight, you just don't know how to guide it, that's all."

"What are we going to tell Mother and the boys?" Amanda sighed sadly.

Lee kissed her forehead, "As much of the truth as we can. I have to go to Djibouti to interview someone. We can tell them it's for a documentary on mercenaries."

"I hate this," Amanda admitted against his chest.

"Me, too," Lee sighed. "I have to finish packing."

Amanda squeezed him one last time before she said, "Let me help. I'll get your shaving kit." She slipped out of his arms and headed into the bathroom. She returned several minutes later carrying his small leather bag in one hand, the other curled protectively on her rounded belly.

"Baby moving again?" Lee asked as he watched her get closer.

"No, I think he's sleeping now," Amanda stated softly, handing him the bag.

Lee raised an eyebrow inquisitively, "He? So, you think it's another boy?"

Amanda smiled weakly, "I don't know but I hate calling the baby, It or The Baby all the time."

Lee placed his hand over Amanda's and rubbed her belly gently. "Well, in just two weeks we are going to find out exactly what the baby is and then we can decide on a real name. I was thinking about what you said, about making a list of names and I thought I would use the time on the plane to start doing just that," he told her.

"Then I'm going to trust that you'll have a nice long list when you return," Amanda informed him.

Lee finished packing, zipped the case closed and took one last look at Amanda. "Ready?"

"Let me just tell Mother I'm taking you to the airport," Amanda stated but Lee shook his head.

"I wish it was that easy. Dr. Smyth wanted to ensure that I would go, so he's sending a car to pick me up," Lee explained. He checked his watch and stated, "It should be here any minute."

Amanda blinked rapidly to fight the tears that threatened to fall again. "Then let's head down and explain this to Mother together," she stated.

Lee chuckled as he guided her to the stairs and said, "Do I have to? You're so much better at this than I am."

"No, Stetson, this one is all on you. She's your mother-in-law now, remember?" Amanda joked.

"But she is your Mother," Lee tried again.

Dotty could hear them talking on their way down the stairs. She called out from the kitchen, "What's that all about?"

Lee put his bag down near the door and walked into the kitchen were Dotty sat at the table working on a crossword puzzle. "I'm sorry, Dotty, I have to go out of town for a few days…part of the documentary we've been working on," Lee stammered nervously.

Dotty removed her glasses and looked at him. "How long is a few days?" she questioned.

"I'm not really sure. It could be a week," Lee mumbled.

"A week? With no notice? Seriously, I don't know how you two can work for a place that just expects you to pick up and go off on a moment's notice. I mean, it's not like this is a matter of national security… is it?" Dotty rambled. She paused for a moment then looked at Amanda and asked again, "Is it?"

"National security? No, Mother, this isn't a matter of national security," Amanda assured her halfheartedly. "Lee simply has to go and interview a man he's been working with long-distance. Our boss really wants an in-depth-"

"In-depth, right," Lee interjected.

"And in-person-" Amanda continued.

"In-person, exactly," Lee piped in again.

Amanda rolled her eyes as she finished her thought, "interview with pictures and everything."

Dotty looked from one nervous face to the other and muttered, "Uh-huh." She slipped her glasses back on and appeared to go back to her crossword. "What is this documentary about?" she asked.

Without thinking, Lee blurted out, "Mercenaries," to which Dotty repeated loudly, "Mercenaries?"

Before Lee could say anything else, they heard a car horn beep three times. "There's my ride," Lee stated. He gave Dotty a quick hug and rushed out of the kitchen, Amanda following only steps behind. "Saved by the bell," he teased softly. He slipped his coat on and took Amanda in his arms one last time. "I'll call you as soon as I get there," he assured her.

"You better, Mister, or else I'll be coming to Djibouti to bring you home myself. Or better yet, I'll just send Mother," Amanda reprimanded him with a smile.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Lee listened to the crackling ring through the phone receiver and mentally calculated again the time difference between Djibouti and DC. "Come on, Amanda, answer," he mumbled as the phone rang a fourth time. He was just about ready to hang up when he heard the click and a breathless voice answer, "Hello?" "Philip! Hi," he exhaled. "Is your mom home?"

"Yeah, Lee, hang on. Mom and Jamie are coming in right now. We got hung up in a ton of traffic. You should see it, the snow is just coming down like crazy," Philip explained. He held the phone away from his ear and called, "MOM! Lee's on the phone."

Lee sighed and checked his watch again. It was nearly eleven o'clock at night and he had spent most of the day wandering through a camp with Gourad in a humid eighty-five-degree heat. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to lay down in his air-conditioned room in Gourad's house and sleep for several days but he knew the more he could get accomplished and report back to Dr. Smyth, the faster he could get home.

"Sweetheart!" Amanda breathed into the phone, disrupting his train of thought. "How's the weather?"

Lee sighed again, "Hot and humid. How was driving? Are the roads bad?"

"Not too bad. I definitely had to use the four-wheel-drive but other than that, it's slow going but not slippery. Not yet anyway," Amanda assured him. "Did the airline find your luggage?" she asked, her voice sounding hopeful even from seven thousand miles away.

"Well, yes," Lee groaned. He wiped away a bead of sweat that was trickling its way down his forehead.

"Oh, that's wonderful news," Amanda stated cheerfully.

Lee closed his eyes and shook his head as he said, "It should be delivered to the house tomorrow morning. It never even made it on the plane."

Amanda groaned softly, "Oh, no! What have you been wearing all this time?"

Lee ran his hand across his face and cringed at the four days of stubble already on his face, "Gourad took me to a couple of shops here in the village, so I was able to get a few necessities, another bag. But that's about it."

"Oh, Sweetheart," Amanda lamented. "How much longer do you think you'll be?"

Lee scratched the back of his neck and said, "I'm trying to get this wrapped up, so two, maybe three more days. Dr. Smyth just faxed over another list of areas he wants to be covered."

"Well, stay safe," Amanda commanded softly. "We love you."

"And I love you, too. Is the baby moving a lot still?" Lee asked. He hated being half a world away from her at that moment.

Amanda smiled as she relaxed onto the stool in the kitchen and leaned against the counter, one hand rubbing her belly, "Yes, but I think he misses you. He's been more active than ever."

"So, what are you trying to say? I put him to sleep?" Lee laughed. Amanda simply chuckled her response but after several seconds, they both lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. Lee cleared his throat, unsure what he wanted to say before he finally sighed. "Listen, I should get going. I'll check in tomorrow. I love you," Lee stated.

"I love you too, Sweetheart," Amanda replied softly.

Lee hung up the phone slowly and groaned when he heard the telltale sounds of the fax machine again. He watched as three more sheets printed off the hated machine. "How the hell does he expect me to find this?" Lee groaned as he read off the list of locations. He checked his watch, stifled a yawn before leaving the small office headquarters. Gourad was waiting in the car to take them back to his house.

"Your wife well?" Gourad asked politely as Lee slipped into the seat beside him.

Lee nodded, "She is. I can't wait to get back home, that's for sure." He closed his eyes as the car pulled away from the building and headed through the small town to Gourad's house.

Back in Arlington, Amanda hung up the phone and sighed. She was still thinking about the conversation with Lee when she heard stomping feet nearby. She looked up to see Philip banging his feet to get the snow off. "I did the walkway, Jamie is working on the driveway right now," he explained. "I just needed to get a hat." He looked at the sad expression on Amanda's face and crossed the room to wrap his arms around his mother. "Is Lee okay?" Amanda nodded, her head leaning against his. "Is he going to be home soon?"

Amanda gave him another squeeze and whispered, "He said a few more days, but who knows. He just got another list of locations he needs to scout out for our boss."

Philip kissed her cheek and assured her, "He'll be home in time. He knows how important that doctor's appointment is. He'll be there, Mom. He promised."

Amanda touched his cold cheek with one hand and asked, "How did you get to be so sweet?"

Philip shrugged his shoulders, disentangled himself and jogged out of the room to find his hat. He returned a minute later, another hat in his hands and said, "Jamie needs one too. We'll take care of the driveway."

"Tell you what. I'll get the hot chocolate going…with marshmallows?" she suggested.

"Deal!" Philip smiled before he slipped out the door to help Jamie.

Dotty appeared in the doorway, carrying two more bags of groceries. "This is it! I'm so glad the boys don't mind shoveling," she announced. She stopped when she saw the sad expression on Amanda's face. "Darling, what's wrong?"

Amanda sighed, "Nothing. That was Lee on the phone."

Dotty deposited the bags on the table and as she began pulling the contents out, she asked, "Is everything okay? Is he okay?"

Amanda slid off the stool and began helping Dotty unload the bags. "He sounds exhausted. The airline never actually got his suitcase on the plane so he had to buy clothes," she began to explain.

"What? How did the airline miss his suitcase? Where is it now?" Dotty exclaimed, waving a box of spaghetti in her hand.

"It should be delivered tomorrow to the house," Amanda sighed. She looked out the window at the snow rapidly falling in large clumps. "How many inches did the weather reporter say we were getting?"

Dotty closed the pantry door and stated, "Well, one reporter said four to six and another said only a few so who knows. If Dean was still at the station, we'd have an accurate report, I'm sure. Amanda, whatever happened between the two of you anyway? One minute you seemed happy and you seemed to love him and the next…well, he just wasn't around anymore."

Amanda looked at her mother and exhaled, "It was just one of those things. I think I realized I just wasn't in love with him. I mean, I loved him, he was a wonderful guy, very caring to the boys but I wasn't IN love with him. And that's about the time I started working for IFF, remember? I started to get busier and we didn't have as much time to spend with each other. That's all."

"Uh-huh. And that was about the time you met a handsome man named Lee Stetson too I would assume," Dotty teased.

Amanda couldn't hide the flush of color on her face at her mother's insinuation. "Mother! We just worked together back then, that's all," she tried but the look on Dotty's face told her she thought otherwise. "We did! Lee didn't even like me in the beginning."

"But look at the two of you now," Dotty beamed happily. She couldn't resist giving Amanda's rounded belly a rub as she passed her. She collected several more items and sorted them into the appropriate cabinets. "So when does Lee think he'll be home?" Dotty asked. "How about I start the cocoa for the boys?" she added.

"Thank you, Mother," Amanda nodded. "Lee wasn't sure. He just said he'd check in again tomorrow."

Dotty walked around the island, put her arms around her daughter and squeezed her gently as she assured her, "Don't worry. He'll make it home, sooner than you think!"

"I hope so, Mother!" Amanda sighed. She couldn't help let her mind wander at the possibility of rescheduling their ultrasound appointment.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Where is she?" Lee demanded a week later when he stormed into the bullpen.

Billy looked up from the report he was reading and exclaimed, "Jesus, Scarecrow, you look like hell." He sized up a very disheveled looking Lee and shook his head. "What the hell happened to you?"

Lee looked down at his wrinkled jacket and wet, mud-splattered pants. He ran his hand through his hair before running it across his heavily stubbled face. "Well, let's see. First, the airline never put my bag on the plane so all I had with me was my carry-on which only included my files, a book on Custer's last stand, my passport and traveler's checks and last but not least, my camera. Gourad was able to bring me to a few shops nearby but you'd be amazed at what you can't get…a decent razor for starters. Then, it's springtime in Djibouti which means it's eight-five and humid, every damn day."

"Scarecrow, I'm sorry," Billy tried to hold back his laughter at Lee's obvious discomfort.

"Oh, no, that's just the tip of the iceberg. The first three or four days weren't too bad. Then Dr. Smyth faxed over a second list of locations he wanted documented. So, Gourad and I spent the next two days running all over the damn countryside in the sweltering heat. For what? To take pictures of empty warehouses and burned out buildings," Lee continued.

Billy leaned back onto the desk behind him, "Well, I'm sure Dr. Smyth had a good reason for all that."

Lee groaned audibly, "I thought that too until I got the next list of people he wanted interviewed, including a seven-year-old boy. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear he was doing it just to yank my chain around a bit."

"Dr. Smyth can be a little underhanded sometimes but I don't think he'd resort to-" Billy attempted to defend Dr. Smyth.

"Underhanded? How many times has he given us half-truths or withheld information for his own gain, Billy?" Lee balked.

Billy held his hands up and admitted, "All right, I get it. Dr. Smyth does have his own agenda sometimes."

"Most of the time," Lee interjected.

"Ok, MOST of the time, but in this case, maybe there was something there with enough merit that he wanted to close the book on it?" Billy suggested.

"He wants to close the book on something all right!" Lee snapped.

"The important thing is that you did what he asked, you ruled out all the locations and individuals he had concerns over so now he can take it all back to the President and show him our system is working," Billy assured him.

Lee rolled his eyes and bobbed his head several times in mock agreement. "Well, to make my trip home even more eventful, my flight was delayed three times. I missed the second connecting flight because of the delays and had to scramble to find another flight. So I've been awake for," Lee stopped to check his watch," Thirty-two hours now because you know what turbulence looks like in February over the Atlantic. After finally landing at Dulles, the bag that I bought in Djibouti with all the clothes I bought in Djibouti is now also MIA. And to top it all off, the cab driver that dropped me off found the deepest puddle in all of DC to park in," he groused.

Billy tipped his head toward his office door, "Grab a cup of coffee and meet me in my office."

Lee looked over at the coffee station in the corner. He noticed the pot was full and commented, "At least it looks like it might actually be a fresh cup." Billy simply laughed as he walked into his office, leaving Lee in the bullpen. Lee filled a Styrofoam cup and shuffled into Billy's office where he was now sitting behind his desk reviewing a case file.

Lee dropped into one of the chairs across from Billy. "Now, where's Amanda? Dotty said she came to work today and Mrs. Marston said she left already with Francine," Lee asked between sips of the bitter liquid.

Billy exhaled loudly and stated, "She's in the field today."

Lee jumped up, spilling the coffee on his pant leg. "What do you mean she's in the field? She's not supposed to be in the field, remember?" he demanded. He placed the now empty cup on the edge of Billy's desk angrily.

"Calm down, Scarecrow. She's simply running surveillance with Francine. She's tucked away, safe and sound in a van, taking pictures of everyone entering and exiting one of the massage parlors down on Columbia," Billy explained calmly.

"Dammit, Billy, you know how easy it is for her to get herself into trouble!" Lee exclaimed as he swiped at the growing stain on his pants.

Billy simply shook his head in disbelief, "Listen to yourself. Amanda knows how to handle herself in the field. She is running surveillance, that's it. She's not chasing down the bad guys, for Christ's sake. This is well within her limits of what she can do."

"Billy-" Lee began but Billy raised his hand to stop him.

"She can take pictures as easily as she can gather information on the computer which is what she has been doing while you were away. Now, stop being so damn protective. I wouldn't put her in harm's way any more than you would," Billy scolded him.

Lee closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You're right, I know you wouldn't. I'm just tired… and dirty…" he sighed.

"And you stink, Scarecrow. Now get out of my office. Go home, take a shower and get some sleep. Amanda and Francine should be back in a few hours so I'll send her right home," Billy instructed him with a laugh.

Lee looked down at his clothes once more and nodded, "Yeah, I'd say I'm pretty ripe just about now. Thanks, Billy." He stood and walked out of the office, his strides long and purposeful. He waited as the elevator blinked off the floor numbers above his head.

"Well, well, well. Look who's finally returned," he heard from behind him. Lee turned to see Beamon heading in his direction. Lee groaned quietly but didn't reply. "Hey, I heard you have a special day coming up soon. Rushed right back so you didn't miss it, huh?" Beamon teased.

Lee couldn't hide the smile on his face as he replied, "We have our appointment to find out what the baby is on Monday."

Beamon shook his head, "No, I wasn't talking about that. Your first anniversary is on what…Saturday, I think it is?"

Lee panicked for a half a second before he grabbed Beamon and shoved him against the wall, his forearm pressed against Beamon's throat. "Listen, man, I don't know what you think you know but you don't know anything! Amanda and I got married on October third. Even you were there!"

Beamon struggled against Lee's arm, knocking his glasses off-kilter. "Lee…I can't…breathe," he sputtered.

"Scarecrow!" Billy shouted from the other end of the hall. "Let him go! What are you doing?"

Lee blinked several times at Billy then turned his head slowly back to Beamon. He released him gradually, straightened his shirt, adjusted his glasses for him and stated, "Beamon and I were just having a little discussion about fact and fiction, weren't we?" He glared at Beamon, his eyes flashing angrily.

"Yes, yes, sir. Scarecrow and I were indeed talking about facts and rumors and why you can't believe everything you see or hear these days," Beamon stuttered nervously.

"Go home, Scarecrow! That's an order!" Billy barked as he walked back down the corridor.

"Will do, Billy," Lee called back. He shot an angry look in Beamon's direction as he hissed, "Not one more word!"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"I don't know, Edna, if this weather keeps up, Lee might not make it home in time and Amanda is going to be so upset," Dotty stated sadly. "She hasn't heard from him since Tuesday afternoon and his flight was supposed to be early Wednesday morning so I don't know." She listened to Edna's response and nodded her head in agreement. "I spoke to him this morning for about two minutes but when I said Amanda went to work he hung up. I think she'll end up rescheduling the appointment." A noise in the garage startled her. "Hang on, Edna, I think I just heard something."

Dotty put the phone down on the small phone table and walked closer to the door to the garage. She listened again but didn't hear anything so she went back to the phone. "I don't know what that was. Must have been the wind. Oh, I bet one of the boys left the garage door open this morning. I better go close it. I'll give you a call later after I mop the floor. Bye, now."

Dotty picked up the mop handle and dragged the wet mop across the floor to the short hall near the garage door. She began mopping the floor in the small bathroom. She was standing in the doorway, her back to the garage door. She didn't hear the click of the lock opening nor did she see the door begin to open.

She finished mopping, lifted the mop and turned to find the disheveled-looking Lee standing behind her, startling her. She swung the dirty, wet mop in his direction, barely missing his shoulder with the mop handle, however, the long, cotton strands of the dirty mop head snapped around his head.

Lee cursed loudly as he tried to bat the smelly strands away. "Dotty, it's me!" he called before ducking out of the way.

"Lee? What are you doing? You scared me half to death!" Dotty exclaimed, dropping the mop onto the floor with a clatter. Lee bent down to pick up the handle and as he made eye contact with Dotty he couldn't miss the look on her face. "Lee, you look awful!" she stated.

"Thanks, Dotty, I feel pretty awful, too. I've been awake for… oh… thirty-three hours now, I think the last time I had a decent shower was four days ago and I haven't had a good shave since the morning I left. How was your day?" Lee groused. He ran his hand across his neck and felt the gritty dirt from the mop under his fingertips.

Dotty looked at him sympathetically, "I'm so sorry, Lee. Amanda is going to be so happy you're home though. She's been so worried and when she didn't hear from you yesterday, she was practically in tears all day."

Lee grimaced at the thought he was causing Amanda any distress. "Every time I tried to call either there was no payphone available or I was standing in another line trying to get a different flight," he explained.

"Well, you're home now and that's all that matters. How about a cup of coffee and I'll heat up some soup I made last night," Dotty offered.

Lee gave her a half-hearted smile, "Coffee and soup sounds great although I would love a hot shower in between all that." He followed Dotty into the kitchen where she immediately poured him a cup of coffee as he peeled off his wrinkled suit jacket.

"Oh, the airline delivered your luggage, just like you said they would. Amanda unpacked everything and your coat is hanging in the closet," Dotty stated as she pushed his mug in his direction.

Lee took a sip and hummed, "There's nothing like coffee in your own home, in your own mug." He closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply. "It definitely smells like home."

"Well, you don't smell like you," Dotty teased. "You smell like Philip's gym bag when he gets back from basketball practice."

Lee opened his eyes, looked down and laughed, "I do look pretty bad, don't I?"

"Bad? I don't know if that is an accurate description. Just be thankful the boys aren't home to see you like this. They'd never let you live it down," Dotty smiled. She opened her mouth to say something else when she heard Amanda's voice from the garage.

"Mother? Is Lee here?" Amanda called out as she entered the house.

"He's right here, Darling," Dotty responded.

Amanda walked into the kitchen, immediately spotting Lee sitting at the counter. She dropped her bag on the table and exclaimed, "Lee! You look awful."

Lee laughed loudly, "Thanks. I seem to be having that effect on everyone today."

Amanda got closer then stopped several feet away and covered her nose and mouth with her hand. "You smell like Philip's gym bag!" she exclaimed.

Dotty tossed her hands in the air and stated, "I rest my case."

"I can take a hint," Lee laughed again. "I'm going to shower right now, don't worry." He stood and took two steps in Amanda's direction. "How about a kiss hello?"

Amanda held her hand up and pressed it into his chest as he tried to get closer. "Not until you shower and get rid of that… that… untamed animal… on your face!" she instructed.

"Untamed animal?" Lee questioned, aghast. He rubbed his hand across his chin and cringed at the feeling of the coarse hair growth. "What if I kept just the mustache? Or a goatee?" he teased. Amanda grimaced at his suggestion, drawing a laugh from deep in his chest. "Don't worry, I'm only kidding. But Dotty, that soup does sound delicious if you wouldn't mind."

"It will be ready when you come back," Dotty assured him.

Lee took his coffee mug and climbed the stairs to their bedroom. He stripped his clothes off, dropping everything onto the small trash basket before stepping into the steaming shower. He pressed his hands against the cool glass enclosure and just let the hot water run down his body, relaxing him. He shampooed his hair several times before scrubbing every inch of his body with soap. He stepped out of the enclosure and wiped the mirror down.

Lee examined his reflection in the foggy glass, turning his face from side to side. "Grizzly Adams I will never be," he groaned. In the drawer, he found his razor and favorite shaving cream. It took him nearly thirty minutes to shave the beard he managed to grow while he was away. He was just wiping the remaining water off his face when Amanda knocked on the door.

"Is it safe?" she asked tentatively opening the door.

"Yeah, it's safe," Lee teased and took a step closer to her. He easily grabbed her hand and pulled him into his arms. "Better?"

Amanda reached up and stroked his cheek, "Now I know you." She pushed up onto her toes to kiss his lips, catching him by surprise.

"Hey, I think someone's really trying to get between us, now," Lee teased. He looked down at her rounded belly, currently pressing against him. "I haven't been gone that long," he stated and placed his hand on her belly.

"Well, long enough," Amanda stated. "Geronimo's done a lot of growing."

"Geronimo? What happened to Kemosabe?" Lee narrowed his eyes, confused.

"Geronimo, Kemosabe? After Monday, it's not going to matter because we will know exactly who it is," Amanda smiled just before she captured his lips with hers. They separated when they were both breathless. "I missed you, Sweetheart," Amanda breathed. Lee responded by pressing his forehead to hers. "Soup is ready," she whispered softly.

"Mmmm soup and sleep, my current agenda," Lee hummed.

"When was the last time you got some sleep?" she asked.

Lee closed his eyes and could feel himself relaxing to the point he knew he needed to move or risk falling asleep where he stood. "Too long ago," he sighed.

"Then let's get some food in you and then get you into bed before the boys get home," Amanda declared, gently pushed herself away to create space between.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Lee opened his eyes and blinked several times in the bright light of the room. Yawning loudly, he rolled onto his side to find Amanda's side of the bed already neatly made. He pushed up onto his elbow to look at the bedside alarm clock. "Damn. Ten o'clock?" Lee muttered as he dragged himself out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom feeling off-balance. He looked at himself in the bathroom mirror and groaned. A few minutes later, he pulled his robe on and slowly made his way down the stairs to find Dotty, alone, in the family room reading her latest romance novel. "Did Amanda go to work?" he asked, yawning again.

"She did. She tried to wake you but she said you grunted and rolled back over again," Dotty laughed. "You must have been really tired."

Lee scratched his head and yawned once more. "Yeah, maybe. I don't remember that," he admitted.

"I just made a fresh pot of coffee," Dotty informed him. "Would you like me to make you something to go with it?"

"No, I think I can manage. I should probably head to work soon, too," he explained. He dropped two slices of bread into the toaster before pouring himself a cup of coffee. Lifting the phone, he dialed the direct line for Amanda's desk. He sipped his coffee while he waited for her to answer but after six rings, he depressed the disconnect button and dialed Billy's line.

"Melrose," he answered.

"Hey, Billy, it's Lee. Is Amanda in the bullpen?" Lee asked as soon as he heard his friend's voice.

"No, she and Francine are finishing up that surveillance assignment. She got some good shots yesterday, more than we hoped for," Billy explained.

Lee's jaw clenched tightly, as the muscle twitched wildly in his cheek, "I don't like this, Billy. What if-"

"Nothing is going to happen. She's there for another hour, tops. Then she's coming right back here where we'll have the film developed then Ernie will work his magic on it like he did yesterday. He found six, count them, six marks on our BOLO list just from the few hours Amanda was there," Billy explained. "And Francine made sure she never left the van alone, not even for a bathroom break," he assured him.

Lee managed a weak smile knowing full well Amanda couldn't go more than an hour or two now without a trip to the bathroom. "Okay, okay. I just woke up, so give me some time to get in."

"Take all the time you need. Just don't forget to bring your report with you, or are you still working on that?" Billy teased.

"Very funny. Actually, I worked on it in the airport and on the plane for your information," Lee stated with an exaggerated eye roll.

Billy pushed once more, "But can you read it?" He heard Lee groan, so he added quickly, "I don't care if you can read the damn thing or not. Just bring it with you so Dr. Smyth will stop visiting my office."

"You will be my first stop, don't you worry," Lee stated. He heard the toaster pop and added, "See you in a few." He tossed the hot toast onto a plate and spread some peanut butter on it before he heard Dotty call out.

"Lee, I meant to ask you something," she stated. Lee took a slice with him and leaned against the doorway so she could see him. "Do you have plans for this weekend?"

Lee swallowed, furrowed his brow and asked, "This weekend? Um… I'm not... "

"It is Valentine's Day and after what happened last year on Valentine's Day, I wasn't sure if you made plans to do something nice with Amanda," she interjected.

Lee bit his lip. "Honestly, with everything going on, I forgot all about it," he admitted.

Dotty's eyes grew large, "Oh, Lee, you didn't? Amanda's going to be so upset."

Lee held his hand up, "No, no I'll figure out something." He looked at the clock in the kitchen and said, "I need to shower and get ready for work. Do you already have plans with Curt?"

Dotty blushed, "We do but that's Sunday night. Oh, I have an idea. Why don't you plan something for tomorrow night into Sunday morning? You know, like you did last year."

Lee shook his head, "Dotty, we didn't-"

"Don't give me that baloney, Lee. Amanda never said it but I know you two were together before you went to California. She might have thought she was fooling me but she wasn't," Dotty stated firmly. "Now, think about it. And go get ready for work." She laughed loudly as Lee stood there, his mouth gaping open.

Lee turned and immediately jogged up the stairs, shaking his head. He stood in the shower, his mind spinning, trying to decide what he could surprise Amanda with for their first real anniversary together. He thought about calling the Inn but thought that would be too obvious. He thought about the different places they had spent time together over the last few years but he was drawing a blank on what would be the perfect place. He twisted the shower tap to off and rubbed his body down briskly, his mind still spinning. As he got dressed he sighed heavily because he was still drawing a blank. He trotted down the stairs and headed straight for the family room where Dotty still sat.

"Dotty, I'm going to be honest. I can't possibly think of the perfect place to take Amanda. Maybe I'm just too tired still or what but…" Lee's voice trailed off before he finally asked, "Do you have any ideas?"

Dotty looked up at him and removed her reading glasses. "I think you're trying too hard. This is Amanda we're talking about here. She doesn't need anything fancy, although, fancy things are nice."

Lee's eyes widened and he quickly snapped his fingers. "You know what, Dotty, you're absolutely right. And I think I might know the perfect place," Lee said suddenly.

"I knew you would. Now, it's after eleven. Are you going to be in trouble at work?" Dotty smiled in his direction.

"Trouble, no. But I should get going. Thank you!" Lee stated as he leaned forward and kissed the top of her head. He left through the garage and a minute later, Dotty heard the roar of the Vette's engine just before the rumble of the garage door opened.

Lee sped to the Agency, making it there in record time. He found Billy in his office talking to Beamon. "I'll be going now, Mr. Melrose," Beamon stuttered when Lee stepped into the small office. "I'll have those pictures brought up to Ernie as soon as they're ready."

"Thanks, Beamon," Billy nodded. Turning to Lee, he teased, "So, you decided to show up today?"

Lee ran his hand through the back of his hair, "Yeah, sorry. Dotty kind of sidetracked me. Here." Lee handed Billy a file folder, "Here's my intel on Djibouti, complete and sort of legible. I dropped the film off at the lab for processing, too."

Billy opened the file and skimmed the pages. He emitted a low whistle with a few shakes of his head, "Damn, Scarecrow. I didn't realize he had you running all over the desert, too."

Lee pressed his lips tightly together, suppressing what he really wanted to say. "It's okay, Billy. You didn't send me there, he did. But that's it. I'm not leaving again, I don't care what he says. I have too much at stake at home now," Lee stated with conviction.

"And I'll back you up every step of the way on that. Your position was…IS…supposed to be keeping you here, not all over," Billy agreed.

"Well, it's done and I want him to challenge that report now. I did everything he asked, interviewed everyone on his list and took pictures of every last rock and hole," Lee nodded once again.

"And I'm taking you and Amanda off the active duty roster until Tuesday. Celebrate your first Valentine's Day together, the right way," Billy informed him.

A slow smile spread across Lee's face as Billy's words sunk in. "Thanks, Billy. Listen, maybe you can help me with that. I want to take Amanda to the one place I don't think she'd be expecting," Lee began.

"Just ask and I'll arrange it. I'm sure I know exactly where you're thinking, too," Billy smiled.

"It's not going to be too much trouble?" Lee asked nervously.

Billy laughed deeply, "For you? Everything's trouble!"


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Early Saturday morning, Lee pushed up onto one elbow and watched Amanda as she slept. He couldn't help smiling as she talked softly in her sleep and the few words he could distinguish were his name and baby. Mesmerized, he began gently stroking the line of her jaw with one finger, tracing the contours of her face softly. Amanda blinked her eyes open slowly and hummed. "Good morning, Mrs. Stetson," Lee whispered.

"What time is it?" Amanda whispered.

"Just about seven," Lee replied before brushing her lips with his.

Amanda hummed happily, "What are you doing up so early?" She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, smoothing down the errant strands. Lee closed his eyes happily for a moment before capturing her lips once more, this time with a little more urgency. "Have something on your mind this morning?" Amanda teased.

"Yeah, you," Lee responded. He kissed her lips once more before he leaned back again. "You know what today is, don't you?"

Amanda ran her hand down the front of his t-shirt, feeling the muscles tense slightly. "I do," she replied huskily. Her fingers reached the bottom hem of his shirt. She slipped her hand underneath the material as she pulled him closer to her. Before Lee could capture her lips once more, she commanded, "Wait." She grabbed his hand and pressed it to her belly where Lee immediately felt a small rippling beneath her skin. "Someone else wants to say good morning, too," she teased.

Lee smiled widely, his dimples deep as the strange sensation under his fingers repeated. He leaned forward and kissed her as a chuckle bubbled up. "I love you," he whispered against her lips.

"I love you, too, Sweetheart," Amanda sighed happily. She stretched one leg to link around his and stopped. "Hold that thought," she commanded gently before getting off the bed and heading into the bathroom while Lee laughed loudly. "That's not funny," she stated when she returned to the room.

Lee couldn't control his laughter, "Let the interruptions begin."

Amanda planted her hands on her hips and reminded him, "We've always had our fair share of interruptions, but since you seem to find this funny, I'm going to go make breakfast."

Lee sobered up quickly and rolled off the bed, catching her arm before she turned to reach for her robe. "Hey, hey, hey, I was only kidding."

Amanda sighed again and stated, "I'm sure you were but now I'm hungry or rather, your baby is hungry." She kissed his lips briefly and stepped away. Tugging on her robe, she loosely tied the belt and patted his shoulder. "I'll get the coffee started."

"A-man-da," Lee groaned but she was already heading down the stairs without a second look back. "I must be off my game," he muttered. He joined her in the kitchen twenty minutes later, his hair still slightly wet.

Amanda handed him a mug of steaming coffee and commented, "Showered already?"

Lee scratched his head and stated, "Yeah, I figured I needed to cool off a little before-"

"Oh, Sweetheart, I didn't mean to-" Amanda cut him off but stopped her own apology when Lee raised his hand.

"No, don't apologize. You're just going to have to make it up to me later," he teased.

Amanda smiled, "I think I can do that. What is on our agenda for today?"

Lee looked over at the calendar on the wall and stated, "The boys are with Joe today, so, you and I are going to have a day for just us. Oh, and pack an overnight bag. We're going to need it."

Amanda stepped closer to Lee and poked him in the chest with one finger as she demanded, "Just what are you up today?"

Lee grinned and with a wink, he said, "Right now I'm not up to anything." Amanda groaned at his entendre. "But, today is a day I want to celebrate us. So, we are going to spend some time visiting a few places. And tonight, we have a reservation at one very special place."

"Oh, we do, huh? Where's that?" Amanda asked.

Lee smiled again, "I'm not telling you. It's going to be a surprise. But I will tell you, I promised Joe we would bring the boys to him this morning. He said he was going to take them to the Smithsonian today. There's a special exhibit of Egyptian artifacts he thought Jamie might be interested in, since they just started studying Ancient Egypt in school and he also said Philip saw something about World War I and he wanted to see that display."

"Wow. Joe didn't mention any of that to me when I talked to him," Amanda blinked. She took a sip of her coffee and added, "Wait, when did you talk to Joe?"

Lee sipped his coffee and nodded, "He called last night, remember. You said you were going to call him back when you got back from shopping with your mother."

Amanda grimaced, "Shoot. I forgot to call him back."

"I know, which is why when he called back again, he told me what his plans were and asked me to pass the information onto you," Lee explained.

"Oh," Amanda gasped. "Well, I guess I should take a shower now and get ready. How should I dress today?"

Lee pressed his finger to his lips thoughtfully and said, "Comfortably."

Amanda rolled her eyes, "Do you forget that most of my clothes at the moment are made for comfort?"

Lee chuckled and added, "Casual, but not too casual."

Amanda pressed her fingers to her forehead in frustration, "So, work casual or shopping with Mother casual?"

Lee pretended to think for a few minutes and jumped when she playfully swatted his arm. "Work casual," he finally declared with a smile.

Amanda sighed, "Okay, work casual but comfortable. What do I pack in this overnight bag?"

Lee chuckled, winked and whispered, "As little as possible."

Amanda draped her arms over his shoulders and toyed with the damp hair on the back of his head, "No sexy nightgown?"

Lee teased her lips and whispered back, "If I remember correctly, you told Penny sometimes it's better without the sexy nightgown."

"And I think you two should be careful what you talk about in the kitchen," Dotty teased as she poured her coffee.

Blushing, Amanda dropped her head on Lee's shoulder and groaned, "Mother, how long have you been listening?"

Dotty laughed, "Long enough to know you shared the same advice I gave you once upon a time. How is Penny these days, Darling?"

Lee shook his head and with a smile, he answered before Amanda could, "She's well. They're making another trip back to the States in a few months when the baby is old enough to travel."

Dotty took a sip of her coffee and nodded, "That's right! She had a little boy, didn't she?"

Amanda released Lee, "She did. Prince Ali-Ahmed. She sent us a new picture of him last week. He's so cute, he has Rheza's coloring and Penny's curly hair and light brown eyes."

"Just think, your baby will have a little friend already. And if you have another boy, Amanda, they can be best buddies," Dotty chimed.

Amanda chuckled, "That might be a little difficult, Mother. After all, Penny and Rheza live halfway across the world."

"Nonsense! They're little, they won't know the difference for a while!" Dotty stated. Changing topics, Dotty asked, "So, Lee, did you decide what your plans were going to be today?"

"I did. Amanda and I are going to drop the boys off then we're going to have a little adventure. I took your suggestion and we have a reservation at a very special place for tonight," Lee smiled.

"Wait, so you two talked about this?" Amanda's mouth dropped open.

"Of course, Darling. I wanted to be sure if you needed me to be around for the boys, that I was here. After all, it is your first Valentine's Day together and I wanted it to be special. Not like…" Dotty began but stopped, clamping her lips tightly together.

Amanda unconsciously placed her hand over the left side of her chest as she stated, 'It's okay, Mother. I know what you mean. Last year was not the best way to celebrate Valentine's Day, so, I'm glad we can fix that this time." Her hand drifted down, over her rounded belly as she said, "And someone else likes that idea too." She held out her hand to Dotty and positioned Dotty's hand where the baby's movement could be felt.

"That never gets old," Dotty declared. "But you should get ready, so you're not late. The boys are awake and getting their overnight bags packed too. They should be down any minute."

As Amanda began to climb the stairs, she stopped when Jamie walked out of his room, carrying his backpack. "Good morning, Sweetheart," she called, getting his attention.

"Hi, Mom," her youngest son replied, followed by a second, "Hi, Mom," from Philip.

"Are you boys all ready for a fun-filled day with your Dad and Carrie?" she asked.

Jamie nodded, enthusiastically, "She promised us we could go to that new burger place for dinner if we were good in the museum. Mom, do you think we could stop at the store on our way? I'd like to get some flowers or something for Carrie. You know, for Valentine's Day, and to say thanks for being so nice to us."

Philip flicked his brother's head on his way by, "She has to be nice to us, she's married to Dad."

"That's not true. She could be mean, but she isn't. And she's been trying really hard to get to know us more. Kind of like how Lee was in the beginning when he took us to all the places he liked, so we could get to know him a little more," Jamie rationalized.

"Well, Lee is a lot cooler than Carrie but I guess you're right. If Jamie's getting her flowers, can I get her a box of chocolates?" Philip asked, leaning on the railing.

"I think it's very nice you want to get her something. Of course, we can stop. Let me get ready while you two eat and we'll go," Amanda smiled at her sons.

Philip headed into the kitchen and asked loudly, "What's for breakfast? I'm starving."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"It's awful nice of you to take the boys to the museum today, Joe," Amanda smiled at her ex-husband. They were standing in the kitchen of the house on Maplewood, Carrie was sitting at the breakfast nook, reading the paper, while the boys were already lounging on the couch in the den.

"Well, like I told Lee, I saw all the new exhibits and thought the boys would appreciate them. Besides, it's been a while since we've been able to hang out for an overnight weekend," Joe explained.

Amanda looked down at the counter and frowned, "I'm sorry about that, Joe. It just seems like every weekend for months something's come up and-" She stopped when Joe lifted his hand and shook his head.

"No, Amanda, you don't need to apologize. I get it. They're busy kids. I'm glad we've been able to get together a few times during the week or I can make Philip's basketball games," he assured her.

Carrie folded the newspaper and stood up, "We love having as much time with the boys as we can. And since we've moved in here and finished painting, we have more time on our hands, too."

Amanda scanned the rooms on the first floor with a smile, "I really do like the colors you picked out. It just gave this whole place a facelift, you know."

From the corner of the kitchen, they heard the dryer buzzing. "Let me get that before the wrinkles set in," Carrie joked. She disappeared into the small laundry room.

"I'll get that other basket from upstairs, too. Carrie wanted to make sure the boys had clean sheets but she got hung up at work last night and she wasn't able to start the laundry until this morning. I'm sorry, Amanda. I'll be right back," Joe explained as he headed up the stairs.

Amanda looked around, unsure of what she should do. She immediately began rinsing out the coffee mug in the sink when Lee's head suddenly appeared in the window. She laughed softly and jerked her head to the side in the old familiar gesture before she slipped outside through the back door. "What are you doing?" she questioned as Lee stood, his hands in his pockets, just smiling.

"Nothing," Lee grinned. "Just trying to get your attention."

"Why?" Amanda asked with a shake of her head.

Lee took her hand and gently pulled her into the gazebo, out of the view of prying eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately until she sighed against him. "So, I could do that," he stated in a husky whisper.

Amanda rested her head against his shoulder and reminded him, "You know, we don't have to hide anymore."

"No, no we don't. But I wanted to remind you of how many times we snuck out here for a few minutes of alone time before your mother or the boys knew about us. Or how many cases we wrapped up, sitting out here. This gazebo has seen a lot of our history and I wanted us to have another moment out here," Lee explained, holding her close.

Amanda exhaled happily before she heard Jamie calling her. "Mom? Lee? Are you guys out here?"

"We'll be in, in a minute," she called back. She tilted her head back to look at her husband and said, "We should probably head back inside. Besides, it's getting a little chilly out."

Lee leaned close and whispered, "I'll keep you warm, Mrs. Stetson."

Amanda sighed again with a chuckle, "I'm sure you will, Big Fella, but let's save that for later and say goodbye to the boys and Joe." Ten minutes later they were in Amanda's Jeep, backing down the driveway. "Now, where are we off to?" she asked.

Lee grinned in her direction without replying. He drove for several minutes before he pulled over in front of a familiar building. He craned his neck to look up at the window on the top floor. "Remember this place?"

"How can I forget it? This is the apartment you were living in when we first met. I had seen cleaner spaces in the boys' rooms that smelled a lot better too," Amanda teased.

"Do you know, I learned something very special here?" Lee commented as he reached into the backseat for a small bag.

Amanda knit her brow and asked, "What's that?"

Lee pulled out a small, soft, stuffed panda bear. He handed it to Amanda and said, "Panda is a great nickname."

"Oh, Sweetheart," Amanda gasped. "I love you."

"I know, now let's see what else I have for you today," Lee teased. He took her free hand in his and brushed his lips across her knuckles as he steered the car away from the curb, heading toward the city.

They rode in silence until it dawned on Amanda where they were. "Why are we stopping here?" she asked. She looked out the window at the large marble monument sitting at the top of the steps.

Lee climbed out and opened Amanda's door for her. He held her hand as they climbed to the top of the steps where he stopped and looked around. "We are here because this is where you made me question what a partner really was. You didn't know it at the time and to be honest, I was too stupid at the time to realize what was right in front of me but it was right here, at the top of these very steps that you showed me how important having someone in your life is. And I don't just mean a significant other. I mean someone who knows you and is there for you. Heck, you tried to invite a near-perfect stranger to your house for Thanksgiving!" Lee exclaimed with a laugh. "You have the most loving heart of anyone I've ever known, Amanda. And sometimes, when I was struggling with work or frustrated with you and our relationship that we didn't really have but I think, deep down, I really wanted, I would come here and sit and think about that day."

Amanda wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. "Sweetheart, whether you know it or not, your heart is just as big as mine," she whispered against his chest. Lee tucked his chin over Amanda's head and blinked back tears. The wind whipped around them and Lee shivered unexpectedly. "Let's get out of this wind unless you have something else?" Amanda suggested.

Lee blinked several more times before he exhaled, "Yeah, I have something else, but not here. Come on, let's go." They returned to the car where Lee held her door until she was safely inside. "Now, last stop for now, but, I'm going to ask you to let me blindfold you for this one," he explained.

"Again? Listen, Lee, you don't need to blindfold me. I can just close my eyes," Amanda insisted.

"Do you remember the last time I blindfolded you?" Lee questioned.

Amanda nodded, "Yes, it was on our other wedding night back in October."

Lee tapped his finger to his lips, "And do you remember why I blindfolded you?"

"Of course I remember why," Amanda rolled her eyes.

"Okay, then, tell me," Lee commanded with a grin.

"Tell you," Amanda repeated. "Tell you what?"

Lee laughed, "Tell me why I blindfolded you." He knew she'd take the bait if he played the game long enough.

Amanda narrowed her eyes and stated, "You know why you blindfolded me and I know why you blindfolded me, so why do I need to explain why you blindfolded me in the first place?"

"Because you really don't know," Lee challenged. _Hook, line and sinker,_ he thought with a laugh.

Amanda threw her hands in the air and admitted, "All right, I don't know why you blindfolded me, all right?"

"I knew it!" Lee declared laughing louder. "You're just dying to figure out where we're going but I want it to be a surprise, just like I wanted that night to be a surprise."

Amanda rolled her eyes and shook her head once more, "Sweetheart, you don't have to blindfold me. I mean, how am I possibly going to know where you're taking me until we're already there?"

Lee pursed his lips then decided, "Blindfold or we can just skip it. Along with the gift that I have for you that goes along with that surprise location."

Amanda stared at him, raised an eyebrow and conceded, "Fine, but it better not be a long ride."

Lee leaned forward and kissed her cheek before he asked, "Why's that?"

"I have to go to the bathroom," Amanda groaned.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Lee loosely tied his scarf over Amanda's eyes and turned up the music in the car as he drove to their next location. He glanced over at her several times and even waved his hand in front of her face to ensure she couldn't see. "Lee, I understand you want to make this a surprise but I have to be honest, this is making me a little car sick," she tried to explain.

Lee grimaced, "We're almost there, Amanda. Just two more minutes, I promise."

Amanda slowly inhaled through her nose and exhaled slowly from her mouth. She shook her head once and repeated the process. She dropped her chin and whispered, "I hope so."

Lee pulled into the parking lot and immediately found a spot. He turned off the car and announced, "We're here. Now, we need to go for a little walk."

"Can I take this off now?" Amanda asked tentatively. With a smile, Lee slowly removed the scarf. Amanda blinked several times and looked around. "The train station. Sweetheart…" her voice trailed off when she saw the look on Lee's face.

"Come on. I have something for you, but I can't do it here," he pleaded softly, his hazel eyes twinkling. Before she had a chance to answer, he climbed out of the car and quickly opened her door. Hand in hand, they walked along the platform until Lee abruptly stopped. He pulled a red baseball cap out of his back pocket and tucked it on his head. Amanda gasped when she saw a small brown package in his hands. "I'd ask you to give this to the man in the red hat but," Lee grinned with a tilt of his head, "the man in the red hat has something for you instead." He handed her the small paper-wrapped package and watched as she turned it around in her hands.

"Can I open it?" she asked tentatively. "I mean, is this a matter of life and death?"

"No, not this time. Now it's simply a matter of how much I love you," Lee explained.

Amanda carefully unwrapped the box and carefully opened the lid. Inside was a small, wooden music box. Curious, Amanda removed it from the cardboard box and as she held it gently, she lifted the lid. Inside the box, nestled in a small velvet groove was a beautiful three stone ring. In the center was an amethyst. On either side of the sparkling purple stone sat two sapphires in the deepest blue Amanda had ever seen. Each stone was a square princess cut. She gasped when she realized the song softly playing from the music box was "Over the Rainbow" from the Wizard of Oz. "Sweetheart," she breathed. "This is beautiful. You shouldn't have."

"No, but I did. I wanted to give you a little reminder of three very important days," he explained. Carefully, he lifted the ring and slipped it onto her right hand. "One sapphire is for the first day we met. The amethyst is the first day you became my wife, and the other sapphire is the day we became a real family."

"Oh," Amanda gasped at his words. "Sweetheart, we became a family when we first got married," she tried to dispute.

"No," Lee shook his head. "That day… today… that was just us. And we both agreed it was stupid. So, after today, I want this ring to be a reminder of how far we've come. And, in just a few months, we're going to have another day to celebrate." Lee reached out and pressed his hand against her belly.

From her pocket, Amanda pulled out a small, white rectangular box, wrapped with a red bow. She handed it to Lee and said, "My gift has a slightly different meaning."

Lee removed the bow and opened the box. Sitting on a small cloud of cotton was a single .220 caliber rifle bullet. Engraved on the side was the date 2-14-87. Lee looked up at Amanda and shook his head slightly. "I don't understand," he stated.

"That is a reminder of how something so small could change everything," Amanda explained. She looked down with tears in her eyes and muttered, "I guess it wasn't a good idea after all. I just thought…"

"Hey, none of that. You've given me the best gift, the only gift I could have ever wanted," Lee insisted.

Amanda looked up, the tears beginning to fall, "What's that?"

Lee lifted her chin with two fingers, brushed his lips across hers softly and whispered, "Your love." He pulled her into his arms for a hug, despite the stares they were getting from the people around them. Several seconds later, he released her with one hand. He guided her toward the station house, his arm still slung low around her waist.

"Where are we going now?" Amanda asked.

"Well, I thought you probably needed a few minutes to freshen up before we move on to our last adventure for today. It's getting late and I'm sure the baby's getting hungry, too," Lee teased with a wink.

Amanda smiled at her husband, kissed his cheek and assured him, "I'll be back in a few minutes." Ten minutes later they were back in the car and Lee turned onto the highway, much to Amanda's surprise. "Where are we going now?" she asked.

"You'll see," Lee teased with a grin, his dimples on full display.

Amanda reached out and took his hand in hers, entwining their fingers, her thumb softly caressing his. Lee squeezed her hand gently and focused on the road. Several minutes later, he realized the movement of her thumb had stopped. He looked over to find her fast asleep. With a soft chuckle, he drove in silence, although every few miles he glanced over at her.

"What did you do to deserve her, Scarecrow?" he whispered to himself.

When they were almost at the exit, Lee gently nudged Amanda awake. "Hey, we're almost there," he alerted her.

Amanda stretched as best as she could in the cramped seat. "Ouch," she muttered, twisting slightly to the side.

"What's wrong?" Lee immediately blurted out.

"Nothing, I think I just moved the wrong way. I've been sitting for too long maybe," Amanda assured him as she rubbed an area on her side.

Lee looked over at Amanda as he guided the Jeep off the highway. He pulled over into the first parking lot he found, "You sure?"

Amanda nodded, "Yes, I'm sure but since you stopped, let me stand for a minute." She carefully climbed out of the car and arched her back slightly, her hands gently massaging her rounded belly. She twisted slightly to one side then to the other and arched her back once more. "There, that's better." She climbed back into the car and said, "Good as new. Now, this area looks familiar but I'm not one hundred percent sure where we are. Are you going to tell me or do I have to guess?"

Lee looked around and decided, "You'll know soon enough. It should be pretty quiet there tonight too. Billy told me there aren't too many guests this time of year."

"Billy told you? So, Billy knows where we're going?" Amanda questioned. Lee simply nodded as he steered the car back onto the road. "Does Mother know?"

"Yes, your mother knows. I needed to tell her just in case there was an emergency or anything," Lee explained. "After all, this was her idea in the first place."

"Mother's idea? To go where we're going?" Amanda asked confused.

"Well, sort of. She said we needed to go to a special place and when I thought about it, I thought what's more special than the place I realized how much I was in love with you," Lee stated.

"But how…" Amanda's voice trailed off. She had no idea where they were going given the last clue he gave her. They rode in silence as the wheels turned in Amanda's head. When the gates to the Cumberland came into view Amanda gasped, "Here? This is where you figured it out?"

"No, this is where I came to my senses. When we were here and Jepard was on the loose, I finally understood. I knew then, I would do anything to keep you safe. Amanda… I knew I would die for you and there was only one reason for it. I was head over heels in love with you. It just took me a little longer to admit it to you but…" Lee's voice faded. He pulled into a parking spot and turned to look at her, his eyes damp with tears.

Amanda took his hand in hers again only this time she kissed his fingers and whispered, "I know. I felt the same way. I just wasn't sure if you… and me… well," Amanda paused then added, "I'm glad we made it work because there is no one else in this world I would rather spend the rest of my life with."

"I love you," Lee gushed. He leaned forward and captured her mouth with his.

"I love you, too, Sweetheart," Amanda gasped, kissing him once again.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**This chapter rated NC-17. If you are under 18 or are not comfortable please move to the next chapter.**

Lee held Amanda's chair as she sat in the dimly lit dining room. She looked around at the small gathering of guests and smiled. "Billy was right, there aren't too many people registered."

"I think with the Agency construction on the main building, most visitors must think the entire place is shut down. But, their loss is our gain," Lee explained.

"What do you mean by that?" Amanda asked.

Lee smiled, leaned close and said, "I was able to book us into the honeymoon suite." Blushing, Amanda looked down. She glanced up again as their waiter approached. They ordered the evening special, Amanda choosing water whereas Lee ordered a glass of wine. "You could have ordered sparkling cider," Lee suggested.

Amanda wrinkled her nose and shook her head, "No, the bubbles would make me crazy. I've got enough movement going on as it is." She rubbed her belly and said, "Lee, if I knew we were coming here, I would have packed something a little dressier to wear." She pulled at the sequined sweater she had on.

Lee took her hand in his and stated, "You look absolutely beautiful." Lee watched the small ensemble band picking up their instruments in the corner and when they began to play he suggested, "Let's dance while we wait for dinner."

Amanda dropped her napkin on the table and smiled. "Sure. We haven't danced in a while." Lee pulled her into his arms and pressed his cheek against her temple as they swayed to the music. With one hand around her waist and the other tucked against his chest, he couldn't help notice Amanda's rounded belly resting against his hip. He smiled, unconsciously, as they continued to move alongside the other dancers on the floor. "Why do you look like the cat that ate the canary?" Amanda asked.

"What?" Lee replied leaning to the side to look at her.

"You…that smile. What's going through that mind of yours?" she questioned softly.

"You," Lee replied before he kissed her temple earning a happy sigh from Amanda.

"Congratulations," one woman beside them stated as she and her partner danced near them. "When are you due?"

Amanda smiled in return, "Thank you. Not until July."

The woman smiled at her again, "Well, you look wonderful. Glowing. Oh, I do miss those days, but I don't miss the sleepless nights."

Before the woman could continue their waiter motioned toward them as he placed their salads at the table. "Have a good evening," Lee stated with a smile as he led Amanda back to her seat. The rest of their dinner was rather quiet. They discussed Lee's trip and how he thought his report would go over with Dr. Smyth. They also discussed the boys' winter vacation in March and decided to try to take them skiing at least once more before the snow started to melt. "Would you like to go for a walk on the grounds?" Lee asked once their dessert dishes had been cleared away.

Amanda toyed with his fingers and replied, "Nuh uh." She looked up at him with a shy smile before she took his hand in hers and kissed his fingers.

Lee swallowed hard and when Amanda winked at him, he was pretty sure he knew what was going through her mind. "Let's head up to our room, then, shall we?" he squeaked. Amanda laughed in return as she whispered, "Ready when you are."

Hand in hand, they rode the elevator to the sixth floor. Their room was the last one in the corridor, with two large ornately carved doors. Lee unlocked the door and before he could say anything, Amanda pulled him close for a breathless kiss. "Wow, that's what I call getting my attention," he teased when they finally separated.

Amanda backed into the room leading Lee along by his tie. He quickly closed the door behind them and tossed the room key onto the small table near the door. He closed the gap between them in two long strides, capturing Amanda's jaw with his hands before he kissed her. Amanda sighed into his embrace as she brought her arms around his neck to pull him closer. Their hands became a flurry of activity, tugging clothes off and tossing them aside before they found themselves laying on the bed, side by side.

"I love you," Amanda whispered huskily between kisses.

"I don't know what I would ever do without you," Lee stated. He began a slow exploration of Amanda's body, rubbing in small circles as he covered as much as he could reach. When he neared the puckered scar on her chest he lowered his head to kiss the area around it. "One year ago…" he stated, his voice barely a whisper.

Amanda lifted his chin to stare into his hazel eyes. "One year ago, you made me the happiest woman alive," she assured him. She leaned forward and kissed him again as she linked her leg over his thigh. Lee's hand drifted from her hip down to her knee and back up again, drawing a shiver of anticipation from Amanda. She pulled him closer to her and whispered in his ear, "I need you."

"I'm all yours," Lee whispered back before he rocked his hips forward and he eased himself into her warm passage. Amanda kissed his neck and tugged on the skin over his collarbone as he slowly withdrew and advanced once again. He reached down and lifted her leg a little higher as he continued his slow pace.

"Sweetheart," Amanda moaned happily. She rocked her hips into his, keeping time with his rhythm. With her hand in his hair, she kissed him again.

Lee kissed her back in earnest. He could feel her body getting hotter, her movements becoming more staccato and her breath coming in pants. She dug her nails into the back of his neck as she cried out with each thrust of his hips. "Manda, I love you," he whispered against her cheek when she tightened up and clung to him, her hips jerking on their own accord. When she finally stilled, he brushed her damp hair off her face and smiled. "This position was a great idea," he teased. He moved slowly still, holding off on his own pleasure.

Amanda kissed him softly and whispered, "I have another one but you'll have to move for a second."

Lee raised one eyebrow before he slowly withdrew from her body. He allowed her to reposition herself and was surprised when she rolled over onto her hands and knees. "Amanda… we don't have to… I mean, you said…" Lee stammered.

"Sweetheart, when I told you, I wasn't saying I didn't enjoy this. It works, it keeps my belly out of the way and we can both enjoy it," Amanda explained.

Lee rubbed the back of his neck for a moment and asked, "You're sure?"

"I wouldn't offer if I wasn't. Besides, it works in the shower too, remember?" she teased.

Lee laughed as he repositioned himself and slowly entered her once again. He started his strokes off slow but when Amanda reached up and grabbed the headboard of the bed and gently commanded, "Faster," Lee obliged. Soon he felt the familiar heat in his groin just as Amanda dropped her head and cried out once more. He pumped his hips several more times as his own release came, her tightening muscles drawing him in deeper than before. When the muscles in his legs stopped twitching, he leaned back onto his heels and Amanda carefully rolled onto her back. Lee laid beside her, stroking her arm until their heart rates settled down.

"Happy anniversary, Sweetheart," Amanda whispered as she reached up and gently touched his face.

Lee leaned down, into her hand, kissed her softly and replied, "This is only the beginning."

"Only the beginning, huh?" Amanda teased.

Lee grinned again, "Well, I mean… we have the rest of tonight… and the rest of our lives, Amanda. It's not just about this moment."

"No, no it's not just about this moment," Amanda agreed. "But I think I'd like another moment," she added with a kiss. She climbed off the bed and headed into the on-suite bathroom. A minute later, Lee heard the water running and Amanda calling to him, "Sweetheart, I think I need someone to wash my back."

Lee scrambled off the bed and found Amanda already in the shower, the steam just starting to heat the room, although, her teasing comment already had his blood heated. He stepped into the enclosure behind her and ran his hands down her arms. She turned around and pressed her body to his as she kissed him. "Where's the soap?" Lee teased.

Amanda raised an eyebrow, smirked and turned out of his arms to reach onto the shelf behind him. She wet the small bar and lathered it between her hands. Reaching forward, she grasped his shaft and worked him for a long minute until Lee gently pushed her hands away. "My turn," he stated with a wink. He took the small bar of soap and mimicked her actions, lathering up his hands before he ran them down her back to her butt where he scooped one leg up against his thigh. Reaching between them with his other soapy hand, he teased the sensitive bundle of nerves before slipping one digit inside. Amanda gasped at the sensation, her hips twitched involuntarily before she groaned, "Not fair."

"Oh? You want to play fair?" Lee joked as he stroked his fingers along her slick passage. He kissed her lips, his tongue dueled hers before he instructed, "Hang on, it's going to be a bumpy ride." Amanda reached up and locked her hands behind his head as he lifted her, pressing her back against the cold tile. He easily slipped into her, his hips immediately building a furious pace.

"Lee!" Amanda cried out, halting his motion.

"Did I hurt you?" Lee demanded. "The baby… I didn't…"

"Stop talking, Stetson, and finish what you started," Amanda commanded as she captured his bottom lip with her teeth.

Lee laughed wholeheartedly and began rolling his hips once more, only this time at a slower pace. Amanda cried out as her passion built but before Lee could push her over the edge she shook her head and panted, "I need to move."

Lee, once again afraid he may have hurt her, complied. She turned around and wiggled her hips against him. "Amanda, are you sure?" Lee asked.

"As sure as I am about how much I love you," Amanda assured him.

Lee plunged into her once more only this time, Amanda pushed against the wall until her back was touching him. She twisted her head to the side to find his mouth and as they rocked together, the warm water sluicing over their bodies, she kissed him soundly. When she reached her pinnacle, she reached behind her and buried her fingers in his hair. Lee followed closely behind, his stamina completely depleted.

Exhausted, Amanda leaned heavily against him as he lathered up a washcloth and gently washed her body, paying extra attention to her rounded belly. He carefully helped her out of the shower and even dried her off before he scooped her up, despite her insistence. He carried her back into the bedroom and placed her onto her feet beside the bed. Amanda reached up, kissed him once more and said, "I'll turn down the covers, you turn out the lights."

Lee returned her kiss and whispered, "I love you, Mrs. Stetson."

Amanda smiled and whispered once more, "And I love you."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Lee woke early the next morning, the wheels in his mind spinning. He glanced over to Amanda but she was sound asleep beside him, one hand curled protectively over her small, rounded bump under the covers. He carefully slipped off the bed and after a few minutes, he returned to the bed carrying the small box Amanda had given him at the train station. He rearranged the pillows behind his head and sat back. He turned the box over in his hands several times before he carefully opened it. In the dim light, he stared at the engraved bullet in the box. With two fingers, he lifted the brass casing, immediately noting how light it was. He ran his finger over the etched date before spinning it to find more writing on the other side.

"My heart was saved by your love. ~ A"

Lee felt his breath catch in his throat as he read the words. "My heart was saved…" Lee whispered at his sleeping wife. "I was saved by your love, Manda," he choked as tears began to stream down his cheeks unexpectedly. He brushed them away as he carefully placed the brass reminder back into the small box. He pushed the box onto the bedside table and rolled onto his side. He watched Amanda sleep for another hour, marveling at her undeniable beauty. When she finally opened her eyes slowly, she immediately reached out for him.

"Lee, what's wrong?" she asked softly, wiping another tear from his cheek.

Lee captured her hand and kissed it softly as he shook his head. "Now, nothing," he replied.

"But you're crying," she insisted.

"I didn't realize until this morning how close I was to losing you last year. I mean, I knew but I didn't want to admit it," Lee exhaled. He reached out and brushed her hair off her face. "And I don't know if you know it or not, but you are the one that saved me, Amanda. When we first met, I was on a dark path to nowhere good, only I was too stupid to know it. You never gave up on me and now, look at us… we're here, together and you're carrying our baby. I never saw any of this in my future but now I couldn't imagine it any other way."

Amanda reached up and pulled Lee close for a gentle kiss. "Sweetheart, I didn't give you that bullet to get you upset. I wanted to find the perfect gift for you, the one thing that would show you how far we've come together and… well… how do you give the perfect husband, the perfect gift?" she asked.

Lee kissed her again, softly and shook his head, "I'm not perfect, Amanda."

"You are to me. You've come so far with the boys. Even watching you with Charlie. Can you honestly tell me a year ago you even considered having a baby?" she smiled.

"No. I was trying to wrap my brain around our marriage and then the whole California thing happened and I don't know what happened but I think something changed in me during that time… Listen to me… I'm rambling like you, now," Lee laughed.

Amanda smiled and shimmied closer to Lee, "Well, not exactly like me. When you can recite the entire first line of the Declaration of Independence on one breath, we can talk. Until then, I can think of a few other things I would much rather be doing on the morning of Valentine's Day, Sweetheart."

Lee pursed his lips appreciatively, "Oh you do, huh? Do you want to share your ideas or do I have to guess?" He teased her lips with several brief kisses before he pulled her closer. He leaned back, narrowed his eyes and asked, "Before we start anything, are we going to get interrupted?"

Amanda laughed, tapped his lips with one finger and said, "Hold that thought." She left him rolling onto his back, laughing and when she returned a few minutes later, she crawled onto the bed beside him and whispered, "Did you miss me?"

"Of course, I missed you," he whispered right back before he pulled her to him. Lee made love to her slowly. He focused on kissing her as often as possible until she finally pulled him over the precipice of pleasure with her. They lay in each other's arms for a long while before either one of them spoke.

Amanda was the first to break the silence, "We should get moving soon. We promised Mother we'd be home around noontime so she can get ready for her date. And the boys should be home soon too. Let's say we take them out, go somewhere fun for lunch today?"

"What do you have in mind?" Lee asked.

"I don't know… how about Milo's and then an afternoon at the arcade?" she suggested.

Lee bit the inside of his lip and thought, "You sure you're up for Milo's? It's not going to give you heartburn or anything like that?"

Amanda shook her head, "Nope. Since I've gotten past all that morning sickness, nothing's bothered me. Well, unless you count Aunt Lillian's dessert at Christmas but in my defense, I didn't know she used half the bottle of cinnamon."

"Well, then, Mrs. Stetson, let's go home," Lee announced before kissing her lightly on the forehead.

They arrived home ten minutes before Joe and Carrie dropped the boys off. "They were so well behaved," Carrie announced. "And I loved my flowers and candy. That was so thoughtful."

"That was all their idea," Amanda assured her. "Fellas, what do you say to your Dad and Carrie?"

"Thanks for taking us last night," Philip piped up. He gave Joe a hug then stopped and gave Carrie a kiss on her cheek before he left the room.

"Yeah, we really had a good time," Jamie echoed his brother. He hugged Joe also but stopped when he got to Carrie and said, "You made a great breakfast today. We weren't expecting that but it was really good. You can make chocolate chip pancakes for us anytime." He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a solid hug before he released her. "Mom, I'm gonna head up and take a quick shower if that's all right. Philip, Dad and I were playing a little street hockey before we left and well, I think I got a little sweatier than I thought I would."

"That sounds like a good plan. Tell your brother we're going to go out in about an hour. Lee and I have a fun afternoon planned for you, too," Amanda instructed as Jamie left the room.

"Hmmm, I'm intrigued. Where is the fun afternoon happening?" Joe teased.

"Amanda thought it would be fun to introduce the boys to Milo's then head to the video arcade for a bit," Lee stated.

"Milo's, huh? I don't even remember the last time I stopped by there," Joe admitted.

"What's a Milo?" Carrie asked, confused. She looked from one face to another, awaiting an answer.

Lee folded his arms and smiled. "Milo's Daffy Dogs happens to be the best chili dogs in all of Washington. I introduced Amanda a few years ago. It's been a while but we try to swing by every now and then," he explained.

"Once Lee started learning the benefits of a home-cooked meal and leftovers, he stopped making the daily lunch runs, so we don't get by there much anymore," Amanda joked.

Carrie looked around and stated, "Those must be some chili dogs."

"The best," Lee declared. Amanda took one look at Lee, who smiled and nodded once in response.

"Joe, why don't you and Carrie join us. Unless you have other plans," Amanda invited.

Joe looked at Lee then back at Amanda, "You don't have to do that, Amanda. After all, this is your afternoon to do something fun with the boys. We had last night."

"No, Joe, Amanda's right. You guys should join us," Lee stated as he slipped his arm around Amanda's waist.

Philip appeared in the kitchen and looked around. "So, what's going on? Jamie and I aren't in trouble or anything, are we?"

"Not at all. As a matter of fact, your mom just invited us to have lunch with you this afternoon," Carrie explained. "Would that be all right?"

"Where are we going?" Philip asked with a shrug.

"We are going to hit up a place called Milo's. I introduced your mom to it a few years ago," Lee said, glancing down at Amanda.

Philip grimaced slightly, fully aware of Lee's eclectic taste in food. "Is it any good? I mean, it's not weird food, is it?" he asked tentatively.

Lee let go of Amanda lifted his hand. He waved it in the air dramatically as he stated, "Milo's Daffy Dogs are the… I'm talking THE best chili dogs in all of DC."

Philip smiled widely as he exclaimed, "Count us in!"


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Joe and Carrie rode alone to Milo's then to the arcade while Philip and Jamie rode with Lee and Amanda. The boys took turns challenging the adults to various games and the day ended with Lee against Joe for an air hockey match. The friendly match erupted in laughter and drew a small crowd as Lee and Joe battled for dominance, Joe finally overtook Lee after almost an hour. Lee held out his hand and shook Joe's to congratulate him. That night, the boys excitedly talked about their weekend and much to Amanda and Lee's surprise, asked if they could have another all-family day again soon.

"I was very proud of you, Sweetheart," Amanda informed Lee as they prepared for bed. She had just finished brushing her teeth and was dressed in a new, red satin nightgown. She stepped out of the bathroom and was greeted with a low whistle from Lee.

"Oh, is this my reward for being a good boy?" he teased.

Amanda settled onto the bed beside him and fingered the front of his t-shirt. "No, I got this for you while you were away. I was going to wear it last night but you said -"

Lee put his finger over her lips and stated, "I was wrong."

Amanda kissed the tip of his finger and continued, "What I was saying was I was very proud of how you acted all afternoon. You and Joe got along pretty well and I think it's good for the boys to see that. You even handled losing the game like a gentleman and I think you have earned some kind of prize…" She let her voice trail off as her fingers drew a line down his chest.

"Joe's an all right guy. I never disliked him," Lee stopped when Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Okay, maybe I did dislike him a little bit but you're right, we're going to have to share the boys for the rest of our lives with Joe, so, I figured I might as well learn to get along with him."

Amanda silenced him with kisses as she pulled him down over her.

Monday morning, Lee and Amanda woke early and were preparing for their day when they heard a knock on their bedroom door. "Mom, I forgot to give you this yesterday. It's something Philip and I thought about," Jamie explained as he handed her an envelope.

Amanda sat down on the edge of the bed. She carefully tore the paper open and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. Written on it was a list of suggestions the boys had written down for all the ways they could help out to prepare for the baby as well as what they could do once the baby was born. "Jamie, this is so sweet," Amanda replied with tears in her eyes.

"Well," Jamie began as he sat beside her, "Philip and I were trying to think of something nice for you for Valentine's Day like we got flowers and candy for Carrie but that didn't seem right. And you and Lee are always doing nice things for us, taking us places, so we thought what better gift than giving you us… And we know there's going to be a lot of things that need to be done, so Philip and I want to help. And we wanted you to know we want to help."

Amanda put her arms around her son and hugged him tightly. "This is the best gift you could ever give me. We don't need to spend lots of money on stuff when all we need is to just be there for each other," she assured him with a smile and a kiss to his forehead.

"Thanks, Mom!" Jamie smiled back before he jumped up and headed back down the stairs. He stopped halfway and ran back up to ask, "Is today the day you're gonna find out what the baby is?"

"Sure is, Chief," Lee nodded. "Our appointment is in an hour and a half. So, we'll drop you guys off then head right over there."

"Cool," Jamie smiled again. "You're right… it's today!" he called to Philip as he descended the stairs, Lee and Amanda's laughter following him.

The rest of the morning moved quickly. Amanda and Lee dropped the boys off at school and drove to Dr. Johansen's office. Once Lee put the car in park Amanda asked, "You ready?"

"Honestly, no. I mean I am… but I'm scared," Lee admitted. He took her hand in his and patted it several times nervously.

"Sweetheart, what are you scared about? It's just another ultrasound, just like the first one. They use the little wand to get the pictures. It's perfectly safe. And this time, the picture won't look like a little blob on the screen. We'll be able to see little arms and legs and hands and feet… the outline of a little face if we're lucky," Amanda rambled.

Lee nodded nervously, "I know all that… well, I read about all that. I'm just," he shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know."

Amanda leaned over and kissed his cheek and assured him, "You're already a good stepfather if that's what you're worried about. And you're going to be a great Daddy, so stop worrying."

"I can't help but worry, Amanda. What if… what if they find something wrong?" Lee lamented.

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong. Not with me, not with the baby, now stop!" she gently commanded him. "Let's go inside before we're late."

"Okay, okay," Lee agreed. They held hands into the building and, to Amanda's surprise, Lee wouldn't let go. She had to give her hand a solid yank out of his grasp when the nurse asked her to give a urine sample.

Lee looked back at Amanda sheepishly and said, "I'll wait here." Amanda returned a few minutes later. As they waited, she had to put her hand on his bouncing leg to still it. "I'm sorry," he muttered under his breath. He fidgeted in his seat several times, folding and unfolding his arms, crossing and uncrossing his legs until Amanda finally gave him a look, one eyebrow raised sharply. He could only equate the expression to one she had used with the boys when they were acting up in the supermarket. He sighed loudly and apologized again. He leaned forward onto his knees and dropped his head as Amanda flipped through a magazine.

"Amanda Stetson?" a nurse called from the doorway. Lee practically leapt to his feet and took two steps forward when he stopped and waited for Amanda to join him. Silently, they followed the nurse to the weigh station. "No jackets or shoes, please," the nurse instructed. After adjusting the scale, the nurse let out a resounding, "Hmm," before she added, "Follow me." Once they were in the exam room, she took Amanda's blood pressure and again sighed, "Hmm."

"What?" Lee asked, feeling slightly agitated at the abruptness of the nurse.

"Mrs. Stetson, as Dr. Johansen will explain, your weight has gone up nearly eight pounds since your last visit. At this stage of your pregnancy, you should only be gaining approximately one pound a week. Your blood pressure is slightly elevated as well. All of this is not healthy for your baby," the stern nurse stated.

"Up… eight pounds?" Lee stuttered. "The last time we were here she had barely gotten back to her pre-pregnancy weight after being so sick and you're going to start lecturing her over eight pounds?" he bellowed.

"Sweetheart," Amanda warned.

Lee glanced over at her and quickly sat down in the chair across the room, near the window. He folded his arms and shook his head as he said, "Okay, not another word."

The nurse rolled her eyes at Lee then turned back to Amanda. "Dr. Johansen will be with you momentarily. We are short-staffed today, so he will have to do the entire ultrasound himself," she explained. "You won't need to change into a johnnie unless you want to."

"I'm fine. Thank you," Amanda assured the woman. The nurse left the room with a small thump of the door. Amanda turned to Lee and hissed, "Was that necessary?"

"Amanda, I-" Lee began but she quickly cut him off. "I don't need you telling the nurse or the doctor how much I should or should not gain each month. Is that understood?" she stated firmly. Lee simply nodded his head. "And, when Dr. Johansen comes in here, you will not interrupt him. Get it, Buster?" she snapped again. Lee nodded once more. "Good. I'm glad we understand each other. Now, why don't you come sit beside me, so you'll be able to see the screen better." Amanda indicated the chair next to the exam table. Lee reluctantly got up and sat down. He opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it when they heard a rapping on the door.

"Anybody home?" Dr. Johansen teased as he opened the door. "Amanda, Lee. It's nice to see you again. You're already showing, Amanda. Must be those extra few pounds you managed to sneak in this month." Lee opened his mouth again but instead of speaking he simply smiled. "Let's take a listen first, shall we?"

"That would be lovely, Dr. Johansen," Amanda sighed.

Dr. Johansen fiddled with the doppler and within seconds, the familiar swishing sound filled the room. "Sounds pretty strong to me. About one forty I'd say. Might be a boy…" he teased. Lee's eyes widened at the idea but he still remained quiet. "Now, a quick measurement," Dr. Johansen pulled out his measuring tape. "Well, I'd definitely have to say this baby is bigger than your boys were, Amanda. How active would you say the baby's been the last few weeks?"

"Oh, pretty active. Lee's been able to feel it and so has Mother," Amanda smiled in Lee's direction.

Dr. Johansen sat on the small stool beside the machine, "Really? Well, let's take some pictures of this baby and see if we can figure out what he or she is?"

Amanda laid back on the table and reached for Lee's hand. "You ready for this?" she asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Lee exhaled. He didn't realize how nervous he was until his hands became clammy and he began to sweat slightly. He watched as Dr. Johansen squirted the gel on Amanda's exposed abdomen and when the fuzzy image on the screen came into focus, his vision blurred with tears. Staring back at him was the distinct outline of the baby. He could easily identify the profile view and watched as a little arm moved up and down.

"Well, well, well, what a little cutie you have there. Let's just take a few measurements to compare with the last ultrasound but from the looks of things, I'd say you have a very healthy looking baby right there," Dr. Johansen stated. He pressed several buttons on the machine and moved to another angle for a few other pictures.

Amanda squeezed Lee's hand tightly as the images changed from one to another. She gasped when one clear image came into focus. "Well, congratulations, you're having -"

Lee never heard the rest of Dr. Johansen's sentence. He lost consciousness and slipped off the chair onto the floor below.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Lee came to with the noxious fumes of smelling salts filling his sinuses. He grimaced and pushed away the hand near his face. "Welcome back, Mr. Stetson," Dr. Johansen teased.

"What the…" Lee sputtered as he tried to get his bearings. He was on the floor of the exam room, Amanda kneeling beside him on one side, her face white with worry, and Dr. Johansen kneeling on his other side, just watching him.

"Lee, are you all right?" she questioned, her voice shaky.

Lee rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand, "Yeah, I think so. What happened?"

"You fainted, Lee," Dr. Johansen informed him.

"Fainted? What do you mean I fainted?" Lee stammered, confused.

Dr. Johansen chuckled, "You passed out, hit the deck, keeled over, however you want to describe it. It's not the first time that's happened in this room, I can assure you."

Lee pushed himself into a sitting position with Amanda instructing softly, "That's it, take it easy. Nice and slow." He accepted the small cup of water offered to him by the nurse and looked around the room. He swallowed the cold liquid and nodded his thanks when she took the cup from him. Dr. Johansen stood and offered Lee a hand to get up. "Go easy, Lee," Amanda kept trying to narrate his movement.

"I'm okay. I just… Did I see what I think I saw?" Lee questioned as he slowly sat back down into the chair.

Dr. Johansen laughed, "Well, that depends on what you think you saw."

Lee looked at Amanda, her face still drained of color. "Are you okay?" he asked. Amanda gave him a weak smile and nodded. Lee looked back at Dr. Johansen, "Can you please tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Amanda, why don't you hop back up here and we'll take a second look so I can explain," Dr. Johansen stated. Amanda carefully climbed back onto the exam table and settled back against the pillows. She reached out for Lee's hand and smiled when he squeezed hers back. Dr. Johansen took the small doppler wand in his hand once more and after squirting the ultrasound gel on Amanda's abdomen, he focused the transducer in the same area as before. Lee stood and studied the small screen until the image came into view once again. He dropped down into the seat when he heard Dr. Johansen declare, "That's the spot."

Lee was breathing shallowly as he stared at the small screen on the machine. He was trying to decipher what he was seeing when he heard Amanda whisper, "Do you see it?" Lee nodded his head as a smile slowly creased his face. "There's two, Sweetheart."

"You are correct, Amanda, and congratulations. We didn't suspect twins before, so I'll be honest, this is a bit of a surprise for me as well," Dr. Johansen informed them.

Lee leaned forward and pressed his lips to Amanda's forehead. "I love you," he whispered against her skin. Amanda lifted her chin and returned his kiss, "I love you, too." Dr. Johansen sat quietly as he watched the exchange. He waited until Lee sat back down with tears in his eyes. "Dr. Johansen, how come we didn't see both of them before?" Lee asked suddenly.

Dr. Johansen nodded and explained, "Well, it's possible that the two-dimensional perspective of the ultrasound could only catch one embryo, and the other one, if it's directly behind the first, is missed. Similar to an eclipse where the sun or the moon blocks your view of the other. Because your babies are contained in the same sac, they're so close together that was it easy to miss one in the first ultrasound."

Amanda, still staring at the screen asked, "Same sac so that means their going to be identical?"

"Yes, your babies will be identical. But now, let's see if we can get one of them to cooperate and figure out are they boys or girls," Dr. Johansen smiled again.

"Identical twins," Lee muttered, his eyes wide as he stared at the screen. "I thought I'd seen it all been through it all…but never, in a million years did I seen this coming," he rambled slowly. He watched as Dr. Johansen moved the transducer around several times to find the angle he was looking for.

After several minutes, Dr. Johansen stopped and punched a few buttons on the machine. "So, the question is, do you really want to know or would you prefer me to write it down for you and you can talk about it later?" he asked.

Amanda shook her head, "No, Dr. Johansen, we really…really want to know. Don't we, Sweetheart?"

"Huh?" Lee asked, confused. He was in a daze, still trying to get his brain wrapped around the idea they were having twins.

"You do want to know what we're having, don't you?" Amanda asked again.

Lee squeezed her hand once more and nodded his head rapidly, "Of course, I want to know. Isn't that why we came in the first place?"

Dr. Johansen laughed and stated, "Congratulations, Dad, you're going to have a nice full family at home. Your two boys…"

"We're having boys?" Lee interrupted, jumping to his feet.

"I didn't finish. Your two boys, Philip and Jamie will be a couple of great big brothers to their baby…." Dr. Johansen paused for dramatic effect.

Amanda squeezed Lee's hand tighter, her eyes growing larger as she waited for Dr. Johansen to finish. Lee simply held his breath.

"Sisters. Congratulations," Dr. Johansen finished.

"Sisters. Girls. They're girls. We're having girls!" Lee exclaimed. He sat back down abruptly. "We're having girls," he repeated again, his voice deeper. He dropped Amanda's hand when he buried both hands in hair.

"Oh," Amanda gasped. She reached out to grab his hand again as Dr. Johansen continued to take measurements of both babies. "Sweetheart," she called to Lee softly. When Lee didn't reply immediately, she called to him again, "Lee?"

Lee looked up at her with tears in his eyes. "Girls," he whispered again.

Amanda nodded, "Girls." She reached out for him and Lee took her hand. "Are you okay?" she asked softly.

"Yeah, I am. I really, really am," Lee assured her.

Several minutes later, Dr. Johansen handed them a strip of images, each labeled Baby A and Baby B along with one of the two of them together. "Everything looks good to me. Now, I hate to do this, Amanda but this now puts you in the high-risk pregnancy category. Between your age and what happened last year…" he trailed off.

'What does that mean, high-risk? Amanda's going to be okay, isn't she? And the babies?" Lee immediately got worried.

"If she does everything we ask of her, then they should all be fine but we do want to monitor her closely," Dr. Johansen assured them.

"How do we do that?" Lee questioned. He didn't realize he was patting Amanda's hand as he held it tight until she covered his other hand to still it. He smiled at her sheepishly then turned his attention back to Dr. Johansen.

Dr. Johansen carefully wiped off the ultrasound gel as he explained, "That just means a few extra appointments, maybe another ultrasound as we get closer to your due date. But this also means you have to do a few things as well, Amanda. We need you to increase your calorie intake. So, that means an extra snack between meals and we need you to try to gain another two to three pounds a month. I know that sounds like a lot on top of what you're already trying to do but it's what will be best for your babies."

"I understand, Dr. Johansen," Amanda sighed. She tugged her shirt down over her rounded belly before she held it protectively.

Dr. Johansen turned back to Lee and stated, "She's really going to need your help now. And I want to see your work hours cut back immediately. But, I am going to say this… she is not incapable of doing things, I just want Amanda to slow down, just a little. Take a nap every day for an hour or so. She's growing not one, but two humans in there. We need to keep her as healthy as we can."

Lee pursed his lips together and nodded at Amanda, "I can make sure she does that, definitely."

Amanda stood and slipped her hand into the crook of Lee's elbow. "You ready to go tell Mother?"

"And Billy, too," Lee nodded with a smile before he glanced down at the images in Amanda's hand.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Lee sat in the car in the parking lot of the doctor's office while he waited for Amanda. As they were leaving, the nurse called her back to give her a prescription for a new vitamin. He stared at the fuzzy, black and white picture in his hand showing two clearly defined skulls side by side. He scrubbed his mouth with his hand as he whispered, "Two… two girls…" He swallowed then continued mumbling, "Twins… identical… Dr. Johansen said they were identical." He scratched his head and asked, "But how?"

He looked up when movement caught his eye and he saw Amanda walking toward the car, pulling her coat tightly around her. She slid in beside him and shivered, "Brrrr, that wind is cold." She looked at Lee, still holding the ultrasound picture and asked, "Are you all right?"

"Um, yeah," Lee stuttered. He looked down at the slippery paper in his hand and smiled weakly at Amanda. "I'm still… I must be in shock. I'm trying to wrap my brain around how this happened."

Amanda reached out and touched his hand as she laughed, "Sweetheart, I don't think I have to explain to you how it happened."

Lee gave her a strained laugh, "I know how that happened, I just mean…twins. How did _that_ happen?"

Amanda sat back, confused. "Lee, you're not unhappy, are you?" She began to tear up as she was unsure what to think.

"Unhappy? No! No, Amanda, I'm not unhappy. I'm…" Lee's voice trailed off as he tried to figure out exactly how he felt. "Excited, scared, overwhelmed a little bit maybe, but unhappy? No," Lee explained, his voice getting softer with each description.

"I'm a little scared myself," Amanda admitted. She rubbed her belly with one hand and reached out to Lee with the other. "But, we're gonna get through this together. I promise. Dr. Johansen says they look healthy so that's good news."

"Yeah but he also said you're high-risk now and that… well, that scares me a little bit," Lee looked away as he explained. He ran his hand through the back of his hair as he exhaled.

"But I'm okay, too. I just have to make sure I eat right, rest as he suggested, and cut back on my hours at work. I'm not going to risk anything if that's what you think. There's too much at stake," Amanda assured him.

"I know you wouldn't," Lee smiled weakly at her again. "I just… I love you so much and I didn't realize until I was sitting here looking at this picture how much I already love her… them. Wow, them… that's going to take some getting used to."

Amanda reached over and squeezed his hand, "And I guess we're going to have to come up with two names, not just one."

"You mean Geronimo and Kemosabe won't cut it?" Lee teased.

"No, I'm afraid not," Amanda laughed then added, "Now we know why I've been feeling so much movement."

Lee got serious for a second and asked, "You don't think they're already fighting, do you? I've seen girls fight and it's not pretty."

Amanda shook her head, "No, I don't think they're fighting. I think they are just exploring, only with two of them in there, there's less room to explore."

Lee's eyes grew large as a thought suddenly hit him, "Poor Dotty."

"What do you mean, poor Dotty?" Amanda questioned.

"Well, I'm sure she's going to be helping us with the babies… that seems so strange to say… babies… anyway, what was I saying…" Lee stopped and tried to remember what point he was making.

"Poor Dotty," Amanda reminded him.

"Oh… yeah… Well, if you decide to go back to work at some point, she's going to be dealing with not one but two little girls," Lee shook his head.

Amanda smiled, "Yes, she will. And thank you, Sweetheart. I'm glad to hear you say when I go back to work. I can't imagine not going back now."

"No, I know you can't and as much as I might not like it, the facts are there. You've become a damn good agent and I can't see you throwing away everything you've learned," Lee admitted.

Amanda smiled once more, "Now that we have that settled, let's go tell Mother."

They drove back to the house, their fingers entwined the entire ride. Lee pulled into the driveway, blocking the garage door where the Vette was currently parked. "I don't think she's home," he stated, noticing Dotty's car was missing from her usual spot in the driveway.

They made their way into the house where Amanda found a handwritten note from Dotty explaining her hairdresser had a last-minute appointment and she would be back by lunchtime. Lee wrapped his arms around Amanda's midsection and rubbed her belly as he whispered in her ear, "That gives us an hour or so to celebrate, Mrs. Stetson."

Amanda turned in his arms, brushed her lips against his and replied, "Only if you promise you'll make me lunch after. I'm already getting hungry."

Lee growled in her ear as he swept her into his arms and carried her up the stairs to their bedroom. He kissed her repeatedly as he slowly peeled her clothes off her. Amanda's hands roamed freely across his body as she, in turn, divested him of his button-down shirt and suit pants. They found themselves on the bed, lying side by side as Lee slowly made love to her, his hands continuously sliding across her smooth skin until she cried out with pleasure in his arms, taking Lee with her. When she rolled onto her back, Lee leaned down and kissed her glistening belly as he whispered, "Daddy loves you." Amanda blinked back the tears that filled her eyes and when he sat up to kiss her she whispered, "Mommy loves Daddy very much."

Lee gathered Amanda into his arms and held her until she shivered, "Cold?"

"A little. I'm going to take a quick shower before Mother comes home," Amanda informed him as she climbed off the bed and grabbed her robe.

"I'll go get lunch started and jump in when you're through. I think I need to rethink what I was wearing earlier," Lee stated as he pointed to the wrinkled pile of clothes on the floor.

Amanda laughed, scooped up the small pile and stated, "So do I."

Lee pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt and headed down to the kitchen where he pulled out the lasagna they had for dinner the night before. He portioned out enough for the both of them and put the oven on low to heat it up. He ran back up the stairs and caught Amanda stepping out of the bathroom. He kissed her on his way by and entered the bathroom. Several minutes later he was rubbing himself down with a towel when he heard Dotty calling up to them. "Lee? Amanda? Are you home? What did the doctor say?"

"Lasagna should be done by now. You keep her talking until I get down. I want to tell her together," Lee stated.

Amanda pulled her light blue sweater over her head and kissed him briefly before she called to Dotty, "I'll be right down, Mother." She looked at the ultrasound pictures on the chair and said, "You bring them." She left Lee to finish getting dressed and found Dotty in the kitchen, holding the refrigerator door open. "What's cooking, Mother?"

Dotty smiled at her daughter, "From the smell of things, last night's lasagna. How was your appointment? Was Dr. Johansen able to tell what the baby is?"

Amanda smiled and nodded, "Yes, Mother, he certainly was."

Dotty closed the door and narrowed her eyes at Amanda, "That's not the blouse you had on this morning. Oh, let me guess…your sweater is blue so it's a boy, isn't it? Oh, Lee must be so happy!"

Amanda shook her head and laughed. She heard Lee jog down the stairs and counted to ten. "No, Mother, it's not a boy."

Dotty's eyes widened, "A girl? A little girl? Oh, Darling, you always wanted a little girl! Oh, how perfect!"

Now it was Lee's turn to smile. "Wrong again, Dotty," he teased.

Dotty stopped and stared at each of them, "What do you mean, wrong again. It's either a boy or a girl… there is no in-between!"

"Well, Dotty, I'll tell you, you're half right," Lee teased again, holding the ultrasound picture in his hand.

Dotty groaned, "I don't think I like this game you're playing, Lee."

Amanda plucked the picture from Lee's fingers and laughed, "It's not a game, Mother. I think what Lee is trying to say is… it is a girl…" She slowly turned the image around to face Dotty and added, "Two of them."

Dotty's face slowly drained of color when Amanda's words sunk in. "Twi… twi… twins?" she stuttered, unable to catch her breath.

"That's right, Grandma. Identical from what Dr. Johansen said," Lee confirmed.

"Identical twins? You're pregnant with identical twins?" Dotty questioned again.

Amanda put her arms around her mother and shook her head, "Yes, Mother. And we have more pictures to prove it." She spread the pictures across the countertop as Lee pulled their lunch out of the oven. Dotty touched each one with a shaky finger.

"Two… Oh, Darling, this is wonderful news! I can't wait to tell everyone!" Dotty exclaimed when she finally came to her senses.

"No!" Lee snapped. Amanda and Dotty looked at him, shocked. "No, I don't want anyone else to know until we have a chance to tell the boys," he explained in a softer tone.

Amanda nodded, "I agree with Lee. The boys should be the next to know. After all, they're their little sisters."

Dotty blinked several times as she admitted, "Amanda, how do you expect me NOT to tell anyone until the boys get home?"

Amanda took one look at Lee then made a quick decision, "We'll go baby shopping, Mother. We can start making lists of everything we're going to need… times two."

Dotty pulled Amanda into her arms and stated, "I like the sound of that… times two."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Lee sat in the car, watching the wind blow the leaves around. He took a deep breath and climbed out, bracing himself against the wind. As he descended the hill, he couldn't help but notice how desolate the landscape around him felt. As he approached his destination, he took note of the small flags that stood at attention throughout the area. He stopped when he reached the two small headstones he was looking for.

"Hey," Lee whispered aloud. "I know it's been a while since I've come to visit but today…" his voice trailed off as he looked skyward. He exhaled again, looked back down at the graves before him and continued, "Today, I found out I'm going to be a Dad to not one, but two girls. I have so many questions, so many fears, I don't know who to talk to about this stuff. I know you can't talk back or guide me, but I hope you're watching over them. Amanda's excited and Dotty… well, Dotty's Dotty. We haven't told the boys yet. I'm hoping they're happy. So many things have changed for them this past year and I'm constantly waiting to see what straw finally breaks the camel's back, you know." Lee shuffled his feet for a moment.

Another blast of cold air whipped across the open field. Lee shivered, then, unexplainably he had a warm calm come over him. He looked down at the granite markers, shook his head and exhaled, "It's just my imagination." He knelt down, brushed the dead leaves from around the base of the stones and ran his fingers across the block lettering. "I'll be back to visit soon. I have to go get the boys from school and tonight is our night to make dinner. I'm thinking chocolate raspberry pudding might be on the menu for dessert." He stood and slowly found his way back to the car. He turned the heat up in the car as he pulled into traffic.

Lee drove across town to Philip's school and waited until he heard the bell ring. He climbed out of the car and scanned the groups of kids leaving the building. When he caught Philip's attention he waved once then slipped back into the warm car. Philip ran across the school lawn and yanked the car door open. "Did you find out what the baby is?" Philip asked excitedly.

Lee smiled and shook his head, "We did but I'm not going to tell you just yet. That wouldn't be fair to your brother. Besides I was thinking we should make dinner tonight. It's been a while since we've done that. And then, after dinner, we can sit down together and talk about it."

Philip shrugged his shoulders, "I guess." He slumped into the seat and remained silent until they reached Jamie's school. As soon as his brother was in the car he informed him, "Lee's not going to tell us until after dinner so don't bother asking."

"Really? You're not going to tell us?" Jamie asked.

Lee, smiling, stated, "Nope. Now, what do you boys want to make for dinner?"

"I don't care," Philip groaned. He folded his arms across his chest and stared out of the car window.

"What about homemade pizza? Or calzones? It won't take long and we can all make our own," Jamie suggested.

Lee glanced over his shoulder and nodded, "That sounds like a great idea. Simple to make and you're right, we can all make dinner together."

"Whatever," Philip muttered.

Lee pursed his lips then asked, "Philip, are you okay? Did you have a bad day at school or something?"

"No, I just hate the secrets," Philip snapped.

"There's no secret," Lee insisted. "We just want to tell you guys after dinner. How is that a secret?"

"It just is. You're not telling us now so you're keeping it a secret and I hate it," he groaned.

Lee sighed, unsure what else he could say. The ride to the grocery store was quiet, the tension in the air so thick Lee could have cut it with a knife. Inside the store, Philip relaxed a little as they gathered all the supplies they needed to make dinner. By the time they reached the checkout, he seemed to be in better spirits. On the ride home, the boys talked about their day and the familiar teasing banter about girls soon became the only topic.

"Amanda? We're home!" Lee called out as they entered the house.

"Grandma's car is not here so they must be out shopping or something," Jamie deduced.

Lee gave him a small smile, "Baby shopping I"m sure."

Philip rolled his eyes, "I guess I'll start my homework then." He trudged up the stairs and closed his door with a bang. Lee's head snapped in the direction of the noise.

"Ignore him, Lee. He's been complaining on and off the last couple of days," Jamie informed him as he pulled out his homework and laid everything out on the kitchen table.

"He has?" Lee asked, his eyes still focused on the staircase.

"Lee?" Amanda called from the door to the garage.

Lee turned back to the sound of her voice, "Yeah, in the kitchen."

Dotty rushed in, passed Amanda carrying several bags. "Oh, you should have seen all the cute little things we got today!" she declared. "It's been so long since I've gone baby shopping and I forgot how tiny everything is. Little onesies and pajamas and oh, the cutest little outfits. I just wish the stores would come out with more summer stuff because the—"

"Mo-ther," Amanda warned. "We talked about this."

Dotty took one look at Jamie sitting at the table and took a breath, "The stores are only selling winter stuff. That's all I'm going to say." She looked at Lee and the bags of groceries still sitting on the kitchen counter. "Oh, what are you boys making for dinner tonight?"

"Make your own pizza and calzones!" Jamie announced with a smile.

Dotty ruffled his hair as she walked passed him and said, "Sounds like a wonderful idea. I'm just going to put these things away for now." She took the bags with her and left the room.

"It was my idea," Jamie informed Amanda.

"No one cares, Birdbrain," Philip groaned as he entered the kitchen unnoticed.

Lee clapped his hands together and loudly declared, "Philip, why don't you help me get dinner started. You know, get the veggies cut up, that sort of thing. Then we can all make our own and sit down and talk about our day."

Philip reached into the fridge and pulled out a can of Coke. He cracked the tab open and looked at Amanda, "Mom, can you just tell us now what the baby is? I really don't want to play this game and wait all night."

Amanda frowned as Lee cleared his throat. "I guess we could do that. Your mother and I wanted it to be a little bit of a surprise but if you want to talk about it now, then we can talk about it now," Lee stated. He looked at Amanda and asked, "Do you want to get the pictures?"

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Philip asked flippantly before taking a sip of his Coke.

"It's more complicated than that, Sweetheart," Amanda began.

"How is that complicated? Is the baby a boy or is it a girl? There are no other choices," Philip rolled his eyes again.

Jamie got up out of his seat and stood closer to the island where everyone else was gathered. "Mom, is everything okay with the baby? I mean, there's nothing wrong with the baby…or you…is there? Is that why it's complicated?"

Amanda reached out and put her arm around Jamie's shoulders, "No, there's nothing wrong with anyone. What Lee and I are trying to say is —" Amanda paused, unsure how to break the news.

"Hold on, I'll get the pictures," Lee held up his hand.

"Just say it, Mom," Philip insisted.

Amanda looked at him strangely and said, "Philip, I don't particularly care for your tone of voice right now."

Philip groaned and dropped his head back, "I'm just tired of the secrets and the waiting."

Lee exhaled before he stated, "All right then. We found out today that we are having… girls."

"It's a girl?!" Jamie exclaimed but was silenced when Philip shouted, "Girls? As in TWO?"

Amanda nodded slowly, "Yes, we learned we are having twins. And not just twins because from what Dr. Johansen could see, they will be identical."

Jamie threw his arms around Amanda, jostling her slightly, "I'm so excited! This is great. Two little sisters. Two!"

"Yeah, real great," Philip groaned. "I'm just saying this right now, I'm not giving up my room to share with him again!" he snapped.

"Philip, what has gotten into you?" Amanda questioned, her heart sinking.

Philip slammed the can of Coke onto the counter, slipping it, and threw his hands in the air, "Nothing! Nothing has gotten into me. Congratulations, Mom. Now you've got what you've always wanted times two." He stormed out of the room, leaving everyone in the kitchen with their mouths gaping open in surprise. They all jumped when he slammed the door loudly.

Lee looked at Amanda, tears rapidly filling her eyes, and said, "I'll talk to him."

"No, I'll talk to him," Amanda insisted. She inhaled sharply, wiped her eyes and jogged up the stairs. She gently rapped on Philip's door, "Can I come in?" When she didn't get a reply, she twisted the knob and opened the door slowly. She found Philip sitting on his bed, hugging a pillow. "Hey," she said softly. She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her before she sat on the edge of his bed. "Do you want to talk about this?"

Philip hugged the pillow tighter and grumbled, "There's nothing to talk about. You finally have the girl Grandma's been talking about only you hit the jackpot."

Amanda reached out and touched his shoulder, "Are you upset about the babies?"

"Upset? Nah, this just means you'll have even less time for Jamie and me than you do now," he moaned sarcastically.

"Philip," Amanda said softly. She stopped when she had a realization, "Sweetheart if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're acting a bit jealous."

Philip punched the pillow around against his chest, repositioning it as he insisted, "I'm not jealous."

Amanda covered one of his hands with hers before she asked, "Did I ever tell you the story of when you were born?"

"No," Philip stated, shaking his head and still avoiding eye contact.

"Well, when the doctor announced you were a boy and put you in my arms, I thought I was going to be terrified. I didn't know what to do and here they were putting this perfect little baby in my arms. I was so afraid I was going to do something wrong, that I was going to hurt you in some way but the first time you opened your eyes and looked at me, I knew that I was going to do everything I could to make sure that never happened," she told him softly. "And your dad," she laughed. "It took him almost three weeks to hold you without his hands shaking. He was so nervous. But you were so strong and so loving and such a wonderful baby."

Philip pushed himself up higher to listen but remained silent. "I had wished for a boy the whole time I was pregnant with you because, honestly, I didn't know what to do with a girl. And I got what I wished for, didn't I?" Philip shrugged his shoulders and waited for her to continue. "Then when your brother was born, I wished for a brother for you so you'd have someone to be your best friend when you got older." Philip cracked a smile at her comment but again, remained silent.

"Now, I'm not going to pretend that over the years when your dad and I were still together that I didn't wish for a baby girl. And when your dad and I split up, I thought it would never happen. But then I met Lee and we got closer and, well, that dream kind of snuck back up again. We didn't expect to get pregnant as fast as we did and we sure as heck didn't expect to be having twins," Amanda explained. "And don't think for one minute that I'm not going to be there for you or your brother. Sure, we're gonna need a lot of help with the girls but that doesn't mean I'm not going to be around for you when you need it. I love you."

Philip sighed, "I love you, too, Mom. I'm sorry I was a jerk." He reached out and gave Amanda a tight squeeze. "I suppose I owe Lee an apology, too."

"Just a small one," Amanda agreed.

Philip climbed off his bed and opened the door. He stopped and asked, "Mom, I know this is kind of weird, but do you think Jamie and I could help get the babies' room put together. You know, help paint and stuff?"

Amanda stood and hugged him once more, "I think that's a great idea."


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Early the next morning, Lee was waiting impatiently for his uncle. He glanced at his watch between bouncing his knee and sipping his coffee. "Hello, Colonel," Lee called out as his uncle crossed the dining room at the Officer's Club. "I'm glad you were able to meet me on such short notice."

"Well, Skip, when you told me it was about Amanda and the baby, how could I refuse?" Colonel Clayton sat down then gestured for the waiter. "Coffee, please. And you look like you need a refill there, Skip."

"Yeah, thanks," Lee stuttered. He ran his finger around the rim of his coffee mug nervously.

Colonel Clayton watched Lee's finger and asked, "Is everything all right, Son? You seem awful jittery. Maybe you shouldn't have any more coffee."

Lee stilled his finger. "Sorry, I'm sort of excited I guess," Lee explained before adding, "To tell you our news."

The waiter brought a coffee carafe and an extra mug. "Are you ready to order?" he asked.

"I'm going to have eggs Benedict, with bacon, please," Lee ordered before he handed the menu to the waiter.

Colonel Clayton handed his menu the waiter, also, and nodded, "I'll have the same." When the waiter left he turned back to Lee and asked, "So, what is this news that has you so excited, Skip?"

Lee took a sip of his coffee and smiled. "Well, Amanda had another ultrasound yesterday," he began.

"Another ultrasound? Don't they only do that if there's a problem? Is that why Amanda's not here?" the colonel interrupted him.

Lee shook his head, "No, no. She had a meeting with one of the teachers this morning. And no, they don't just do ultrasounds when there's a problem. Not anymore. Now, you can find out what the baby is before it's born."

The colonel narrowed his eyes, "Now why would you want to go and ruin the surprise? There's not too many surprises in life anymore."

Lee chuckled, "Well, we're awful glad we did because we got a surprise we weren't expecting."

The colonel frowned, "What do you mean by that?"

"Amanda is carrying…" Lee paused, looked around the room, then whispered, "Twins. Girls. Identical." He nodded as each word slipped past his lips.

"Twins?!" Colonel Clayton roared.

"Shhh," Lee hushed him. "Yes, identical twins. We never thought…the doctor had no reason to think it…yeah, twins," he rambled, tripping over his words.

Colonel Clayton smiled, "Congratulations, Skip. I guess when you put your mind to it, you really can do great things, can't you?"

Lee smiled back, "Thank you, sir, but I don't think I can take all the credit. Amanda's the one doing all the work now."

"Speaking of work, what is she going to do?" Colonel Clayton switched topics. The two men spent the next hour discussing Amanda's plans for cutting back her hours and what she was planning on doing after the babies were born. Lee left the restaurant happy the conversation went better than he could have expected. He drove to the Agency where he met up with Amanda in the Q Bureau.

"So, how did it go?" she asked with a smile.

"The colonel is surprised," Lee informed her. "He kept asking me if I was pulling his leg."

"But was he happy?" she prodded.

Lee nodded, "You know what, I think he is. He said something about how he was afraid the family line was going to die with me but now, the girls will carry it on."

"Wow, that's pretty deep for the colonel," Amanda stated.

"I know, but now we get to tell Billy and Francine. Are you ready for that?"

Amanda stood and put her arms around Lee. She pushed up on her toes and planted a firm, yet demanding kiss on his lips and lifted the ultrasounds pictures up. "I am. Are you?" she teased.

"Let's go," Lee took her hand and tugged her into the hallway. At the bottom of the stairs, Mrs. Marston smiled as they walked to the elevator, hand in hand. "Good morning, Mrs. Marston," Lee acknowledged her.

"Good morning, Scarecrow. You're in a wonderful mood today. Do you have some good news to share?" she prompted after catching a glimpse of the strip of pictures in Amanda's hand.

"Not yet, but soon," Lee teased before they stepped through the doors. They rode the elevator down, their hands still entwined. Together they made their way into the bullpen where Lee spotted Francine on the phone. He gestured for her to go into Billy's office before he knocked on the door.

"It's open," Billy called out.

Lee held the door for Amanda and looked in Francine's direction once more. She held up her hand, with one finger indicating she was on her way. He waited until she hung up and smiled as she passed by him. He closed the door behind him and looked around the small room.

"Good morning, Scarecrow, Amanda. So, I assume you're here to share your good news with us?" Billy teased.

"Let me guess…the doctor couldn't tell you and you have to go back, right?" Francine guessed.

"Oh, no. We got our answer," Amanda rebuked with a laugh.

Francine smiled but narrowed her eyes at Lee, "Well, you don't look terrified so, I'm going to guess it's a boy."

Lee laughed but he didn't reply. "Well, Scarecrow, that was a rather cryptic response so I'm going to say it's a boy as well. I would think you'd be asking for all kinds of advice if it wasn't," Billy stated.

Lee looked at Amanda, "Do you want to tell them or do you want me to do it?"

Amanda looked down at the slips of images in her hands and thought of an idea. "How about we let them see the pictures and they can try to guess?" she offered.

"That sounds good to me," Lee agreed. He watched Amanda hand each of them one set of pictures, keeping the image of the twins in her hand.

Francine studied the black and white fuzzy pictures and shook her head. She handed it back to Lee and stated, "I have no idea what I'm looking at."

Billy, on the other hand, placed the strip on the desk and studied each one carefully. After several minutes he coughed, "Can I see the other pictures?" Amanda looked up at Lee who handed over the other strip. Billy compared the images then called to Francine, "Desmond, get over here and tell me what you see?"

Francine rolled her eyes but stood beside Billy and looked at the pictures again. "I see six fuzzy pictures. They all look the same to me. Two profile pictures I guess, two pictures of a head and spine, and two I couldn't tell you what I was looking at," she stated.

"Right," Billy smiled. "Congratulations, you two!"

"I don't get it," Francine admitted.

Amanda held the final image in her hand and said, "Maybe this will help, Francine." She placed the picture between the two strips and waited.

Francine's eyes grew large as it dawned on her, "Twins? You're having twins?"

"Girls," Lee added with a dimpled grin.

Francine sat down in Billy's chair and whispered loudly, "Scarecrow is having twin girls. I don't believe it."

Amanda took Lee's hand in hers, placed it over her rounded belly and stated, "Believe it, Francine, times two."

_To be continued in A Dangerous Market._


End file.
